Two Hearts, One Beat
by Jdkwinxgrl
Summary: One day Sora finds out he doesn't just have one heart but two. The "real" Sora died at the age of four and the combined heart of the amnesiac Ventus and Vanitas have been taking his place since then. If only they could actually remember.
1. Who Are You Again?

_One day Sora finds out he doesn't just have one heart but two. The "real" Sora died at the age of four and the combined heart of the amnesiac Ventus and Vanitas have been taking his place since then. If only they could actually remember._

* * *

 **WARNING: THE FOLLOWING ARE EVENTS THAT DO NOT TAKE PLACE WITHIN THE CANON OF THIS STORY.**

 **1\. Ventus does not meet with Riku at the end of Dream Drop Distance within Sora's heart, nor does he smile in his Chamber at the end of Sora's side. As well, when all of Sora's friends pop up in "...and I'm theirs"** **spiel, Ventus does not appear.**

 **2\. Even though Ventus and Vanitas do have a battle on their Station of Awakening, the conclusion of the battle is different than what happened in the games. (That much is pretty obvious.)**

 **3\. Haven't decided whether or not the cathedral Vanitas thing happened in DDD but assume it didn't.**

 **Just keep these in mind, so that when plot happens you don't think "hey but what about that time".**

 _Will I ever make a title without numbers? Will it ever not be about Fusion? Who knows! Anyways, this is about my other (friend)ship, Vanitas and Ventus, but I don't think it'll turn (basically) romantic like Two Hearts Become One did. Whoops. There is an ACTUAL romantic ship in this fic, not one I ship or will ever ship, but it's anybody's guess who the two characters are. As well, if the interpretations of Olette, Hayner and Pence seem weird, it's because they're pulled from the manga version, where I felt they had more character, such as Olette's jumpy and delicate fear, and Pence's passion._

* * *

There once was a boy whose heart was as kind as it was feeble. Even as he was dying in the hospital surrounded by those he loved, his kindness still grew stronger yet. His mother held his hand tight and was shaking from the tears that were spilling out of her eyes. She kept whimpering false hopes, pouring loving words into the ear of her son.

"You're going to survive this." She said. It was a prayer.

The little boy smiled at her. He knew he wasn't, as much as he wish he could. His heart was just too weak physically. He wanted to help her, help someone, anyone...

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, only to feel a tear drip down his cheek. When he opened his eyes, everything around him was frozen in time, his surroundings fading away to blackness. He stood on a small pillar, tiny feet making little noise as he floated down and made contact with the glass.

"Hey! Can anybody hear me?" He called out. He could feel something, no, some _one_ coming.

"Your voice. It cut through the darkness around me. I followed it here, to you." The voice came from a little star that came down from the sky and floated in his palm.

"I… I don't remember anything. I have nothing to return to." The voice continued. "It's nice to finally see someone else."

The little boy couldn't really call this _**a**_ voice, per se, due to how weird it sounded. The voice was speaking english, and was definitely male in origin; though it still sounded like two voices lapping over each other, and yet speaking perfectly in sync. Never had he heard someone speak in such an odd fashion. Wouldn't two stars mean two people?

"Then I'm glad we had this time together, even if it was short." The little boy said with a smile.

The voice was confused.

"Short?" The twinkling star asked.

"Yeah," the little boy replied "currently, I'm dying. I've got a sickness that's killing me as we speak. I don't have long."

"I'm sorry, I don't know how to help you." The voice said, empathetic.

"I've got an idea. Why don't you have my memories instead?" The little boy said, suddenly brightening up.

"What?! I can't just- look, those memories are yours, and yours alone. I know your family would miss you." The voice said, unsure about the idea.

"I don't want my family to be sad by my death. But if I survived, you could have a life again, and everyone would be happy." The little boy said, smiling.

"Doesn't your happiness matter, too?" The voice asked. Someone messed with his own fate ( _fates?_ ) and he didn't want to do the same to another.

"Doing this _would_ make me happy. I can't make Riku and my parents sad. It's what my mommy said is a 'dying wish'. I don't want to have my life end without doing anything, so I'm giving it to you. Please?" The little boy said.

The voice was quiet for a moment in thought.

"Before you go, can I at least hear your name?" The voice asked.

"It's Sora." The little boy said, cocking his head to side with one last smile.

"Thank you, Sora." The voice managed to say before everything faded to white.

* * *

"Sora! SORA!" The mother shook her child, gasping through her tears. He was too young to die. Not like this. Not now.

"Mommy?" Sora said weakly, stirring from his sleep. "What's wrong?"

"Sora, I thought you were gone!" She exclaimed, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. She hugged her child tightly, as if when she'd let go, he'd fall apart.

"Hmph!" Sora let out, being uncomfortably squeezed.

"His vitals are getting better." The doctor said, reading the various machines that were attached to the little brunet. "Heart rate is stronger, too. This is unheard of, especially after your son's condition being so horrible. We'll have to do a few tests: it looks like Sora's recovering."

"Are you sure?" Sora's father said, glancing from his son to the doctor.

"Can't... breathe…" Sora managed to let out. His mom pulled away, opting to kiss his forehead and hold his hand. She couldn't stop smiling, knowing her son was alive.

* * *

Two young boys fought with toy swords on a beach, the waves of the water caressing the sand.

"C'mon Sora!" Riku said. Him and Sora were dueling again, and he was gaining the upper hand over the brunet.

"Argh!" Sora huffed, trying his hardest. It was no use. He was overtaken and he fell to the ground, play sword knocked out of his hand.

"Nice match, Sora." Riku said, catching his breath. He was smiling, while the latter was not.

" _Weak…"_ Sora mumbled.

"What?" Riku asked, walking closer to look down on Sora.

"I'm so weak! I haven't beaten you once! It's _pathetic_." Sora said, narrowing his eyes and curling up in a ball in the sand. His chest was aching from all the effort he'd put into the duel, unable to feel the release that was victory. Riku sighed, getting down on his knees to be closer to his friend.

"So- _ra!_ You can't keep beating yourself up about this." Riku said. The first few duels were fun, especially since he kept winning. Afterwards, the two would laugh and joke around before another round. Only now, Riku could slowly see this building up in Sora.

Sora whimpered in response, tears welling up in his eyes.

Riku grabbed a random twig washed up on the shore and began poking his friend with the stick. After a while, Sora turned over to face Riku, tears all over his face.

"Riku, stoooop!" Sora whined.

"Only when you stop being a cry baby. It wouldn't be fair to not give it my all, would it?" Riku said, momentarily stopping.

Sora sniffed, trying to keep the sand out of his eyes.

"N-no." He stuttered, sitting up on his knees and wiping his cheek with his fist.

"I give it my best, because I know you deserve the best, Sora. That's why you're my best friend. I wouldn't give it to you if I knew you couldn't handle it." Riku said, eyes softening with a smile.

"Oh shut up, Riku!" Sora laughed, giving Riku a playful shove. "And you say _I'm_ the sap!" His mommy told him to keep his hands to himself when playing with others, and for the most part, he did. Riku, was an exception. He'd never hurt Riku on purpose, anyways. They were friends.

"I know I'm not strong, well not as strong as you." Sora said, quieting for a moment. "I'd like to be."

"I'm only one year older, Sora. I bet you could catch up in a breeze." Riku chuckled, standing up and offering a hand to Sora. Sora looked at Riku's smiling face and then at his outstretched arm. Sora smiled, taking it and being pulled to his feet.

Riku was strong, dependable. Sora couldn't help but be reminded of someone else when looking at his silver haired friend. He couldn't quite place the person he was compared to. Someone important.

It hurt to think about it for too long.

"We'll get stronger, you'll see." Riku said.

* * *

There were many things that could wash up on the shores of Destiny Island. Some seaweed, some shells and fish, as well as lost trinkets brought in by the tide. But, Sora never thought that he'd find _her_.

It was just a normal day on the beach, Riku and Sora happily walking along on the nice almost white sand. Sora spotted the oddity first: a large swamp of the most poignant red Sora had ever seen.

"Ooh! Riku, look!" Sora exclaimed, eagerly pointing to it.

"C'mon!" Riku said, urging Sora to follow. The two boys raced down towards it, the image becoming more clear the closer they got. Their eyes widened and Sora gasped.

It wasn't just another flower.

It was a _girl_.

Quickly, the pair attempted to drag her wet body away from the lapping waves and untangle her from the seaweed. Once she was safe, Sora brushed the damp hair out of her face, giving a sigh of relief when he saw her breathing.

"I'm faster than you. I'll go get help!" Riku exclaimed frantically.

"What am I going to do?" Sora asked, equally panicked.

"Just stay incase she wakes up." Riku concluded. Sora nodded and saw his friend run off, trying to get some form of assistance.

Sora looked from where Riku was to the girl lying in the sand. She looked around his age, if he was guessing correctly. Something made her strange and utterly captivating to him, her red hair dazzling and foreign. He was curious about this strange child: every kid was told to never go down to the beach alone, it was forbidden. Where was this girl from, if not from these very islands? Most of all, Sora wanted to befriend her.

"Nnn…" The young girl stirred from her slumber, surprising Sora.

"Hey, I'm Sora, are you okay?" Sora questioned, concerned.

"So...ra…" The girl pronounced, attempting to get up. Unsurprisingly, her arms gave and she ended up falling back into the sand again.

"Don't worry, Riku's getting help. What's your name?" Sora asked.

"K… Kairi…" the red head said slowly. Her violet eyes were like purple pearls, her eyelids the clam shells that hid their beauty from the world.

"Well, Kai, you'll be better in no time, here," Sora proclaimed as he stood up. Her dull eyes looked up at him, squinting at the sun shining behind his figure. He outstretched his hand, smiling.

"C'mon, take my hand!"

* * *

Naminé looked through Sora's memories quietly. She was alone today, both Díz and Riku out.

Over the past few days, she'd stumbled into a problem; a problem she didn't think she could've ever foreseen. Sora's memories were certainly being smoothed out, and that wasn't the current problem. She had found a tiny little faded thread, leading her to a hidden pit of fractured memories. They were so incredibly vague and broken, nothing like she'd seen before. They belonged to Sora, but at the same time, they were not.

Naminé knew how many people trusted Sora, gave him their hope and hurt; him having to carry it all with a smile. Maybe, it was possible their dreams and wishes had reached so far, they were able to impact the brunet's heart directly.

It didn't seem like these distant memories were important to his recovery so she let them be, returning back to her work.

* * *

 _Years Later, Post Mark of Mastery Exam._

Ever since the Exam, Sora had been having really weird dreams. Which, would be expected if they were anything like his experience in the dream world, yet it wasn't. They were in worlds he'd never been to, people he'd never met. It wouldn't be odd, if only the dreams didn't feel so real, so much like distant memories and lifetimes on the tip of his tongue.

Well, no time to dwell on his thoughts, he had friends to meet. He was going to see Hayner, Pence, and Olette. They hadn't really hung out since before the exam, and that didn't sit right with Sora. He liked keeping the friendships he had with others well and alive. Thus, he'd organized a get together with them via Kairi, who'd been hanging out with them occasionally while Riku and him took the exam.

"Their hangout spot is around here somewhere..." Kairi exclaimed, cutting through Sora's ramblings. She was leading the two boys to their meeting place, a location Sora and Riku were not really familiar with. (Roxas _was_ familiar, but Sora couldn't just phone the guy up and ask him.)

"Are we sure that was a correct right turn, Kai?" Sora asked. He didn't doubt the navigation of his friend, just that Twilight Town was really easy to get lost in between the back alleys.

"We'll get there eventually." Riku said, paitently walking beside Sora as they trailed behind the red head.

"Almost there, I can feel it. Trust me." Kairi said with a smile. Sora nodded and smiled back. He put his arms crossed behind his head, taking in brick upon brick.

"Kairi!" Olette called out, rushing to hug her.

"Olette, hello!" Kairi replied, laughing. Olette squeezed and quickly let go, arms reaching towards Sora.

"AAHhh! I'm ticklish!" Sora squeaked, frozen and flustered as Olette embraced him.

"It's nice to see you have _some_ weakness." Olette giggled, pulling away. She petted Sora on the head lightly, the boy still blushing.

 _I'll be back before you know it._

With the familiar contact to his head came a calm voice, the confusion of a foreign thought racing through his mind like a lightning strike.

"Huh?" Sora said, cheeks less red. He raised an eyebrow slightly in confusion, nobody noticing his sudden off-put.

Olette turned her head towards Riku, who was much taller than she remembered. He politely shook his head with a smile as she approached him, denying her welcome. The girl smiled in understanding, before stepping back.

"So, Olette, where are Hayner and Pence?" Riku asked. He said his words too early, however, the two coming into view.

"Hey guys, I didn't think you'd get here so soon." Hayner waved, drawing them closer as he approached with Pence at his side.

"Hello again to you, too!" Kairi greeted, expressing the sentiment Riku and Sora also shared.

"Do you have any plans for today? You guys would know this place better than us." Sora asked, smiling. Pence looked absolutely elated.

"Well, I was thinking that we could go to the beach." Pence explained, positively beaming. He looked proud of himself too, having stayed up all night planning the perfect evening.

"Uh…" Riku started, trying to find a way to break the news gently.

"We kinda live on a beach, so we were kind of hoping it'd be something different." Kairi explained, nervous smile having crept up on her face. Pence looked absolutely heartbroken, colour having completely drained from his face. He turned around, shaking.

"It was going to be perfect. Everyone was going to have fun, how could I have forgotten…" He mumbled, eyes whirling in defeat. Hayner put one hand on Pence's shoulder to comfort him, looking up at his friends.

"Sorry, he's really weird when he gets like this. He'd put so much effort into planning today – I think you've broken his heart, Kairi." Hayner joked, laughing half-heartedly. Olette was also at Pence's side, whispering words of encouragement.

"Oh no! I'm really sorry, Pence. We can still go the beach! Not all beaches are the same, right?" Kairi scrambled, quickly trying to recover this situation which was currently in shambles.

"Nope! It's too late! We can't go out today, everything's ruined!" Pence exclaimed, shaking off Hayner's hand as he stood up and crossed his arms. He had his back turned to them, firm in his denial.

"Oh c'mon Pence, don't be like this." Hayner sighed, putting a hand to his face.

"Wait a second, I won't let you get away so easily!" Sora stomped after Pence, eyes narrowed, as the other boy moved to leave. Kairi and Olette had put in some work too, arranging this meeting, and he was not letting it go to waste!

Just before Sora could touch Pence, Pence stopped in place and looked shyly at Sora.

"Sorry… but I need some time alone." Pence said, face sad and defeated. Sora froze at those words, letting Pence walk away without so much as a struggle.

Those words, why did they hurt him? Just when in that sentence did his inner flame nullify? No, it had been replaced by a different fire.

"T…?" The word died on his lips. What was that word?

Sora didn't have much time before he became overwhelmed and everything went black.

* * *

Sora woke up, mind foggy. From what he could tell, he'd been moved to Yen Sid's tower. Kairi, Mickey and Riku had gathered around all concerned.

"Sora!" Kairi proclaimed, rushing to hug him. "We were worried about you."

"Hey, I'm sorry I just blacked out. I don't know what happened." Sora said. Suddenly, his head throbbed and he put a hand to his face. "Ngh, my head."

Kairi pulled away, concerned. She stood up beside the other two and exchanged glances with Riku before both their heads turned to Sora.

"Sora, what's up?" Riku asked, face in a frown. They must've thought this was serious, dragging him away from Twilight Town to the master's tower.

"I didn't think it was anything. I've been having a horrible headache on and off the past few days. At first, it wasn't really that bad. Now they've been getting worse." Sora explained. He winced again, bending over with a gasp of pain.

"Gosh, Sora if it was really this bad, you could'a told someone. We're your friends, ya'know." Mickey said, worried for Sora's condition.

"You're right. But I thought it wasn't anything." Sora said, trying to hold back a whine. His head felt like it was going to be split in two.

"Of course, Sora. When has it ever been 'nothing'?" Riku said. The silver haired friend turned to face the wizard. "Is there anything you can do, Master Yen Sid? I doubt a simple Cure could fix this."

"Y-yeah, I already tried." Sora said through his clenched teeth.

"Hmm, because we don't know the cause, it's going to be hard to find a correct spell. We could try this one spell, but it's incredibly vague; it might do more harm than good." Master Yen Sid contemplated.

"Well, if it gets worse because of the spell, at least we'll know the cause of the increased pain and be able to undo it." Riku said. Kairi nodded.

"Let's give it a shot!" Kairi said with renewed vigor.

Mickey gave a stern look and nodded too.

"It's worth a try." The king agreed.

Kairi turned to Sora, kneeling down and leveling with him for a moment. She put her hand on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

"Are you okay with this, Sora?" She asked gently.

Too weak to answer, Sora simply nodded. Kairi stood back with Riku and Mickey, watching Yen Sid perform his spell.

The master stood in front of his desk, closing his eyes. His words were indistinguishable as he waved his hands rhythmically through the air, sparks forming at his fingertips. Sora's body was lifted into the air, magic swirling everywhere.

The room was then blasted by light momentarily, blinding everyone.

When the light was clearing up, a voice spoke.

"What..."

"...happened." Finished a second voice.

Sora was gone it seemed, and in his place, stood two individuals: one with blonde hair and a striking resemblance to Roxas; the second dressed in black, with a helmet covering their face.

" _ **What is going on?!**_ " Kairi exclaimed, confused and scared. Who were these two? Where was Sora?

"Ventus? Vanitas!" Mickey and Yen Sid said almost in unison. Mickey immediately summoned his keyblade, ready to fight need be.

"Huh? Guys? Why do I look different?" The blonde said, patting his clothes and body. His voice was different too. That was worrisome.

"What have you done to me?" The helmeted boy said, angered. "Master? Ha! In title only."

"Who are you two?" Riku asked, finally speaking up. He was at first too shocked for words.

"Riku, you've got to be kidding me. I didn't really change that much, did I?" The blonde asked with a nervous smile.

"Are you Roxas?" Kairi purposed cautiously.

"I'm Sora!" They both said in unison.

Immediately, the two turned on each other.

"Sora? What act are you pulling, idiot? You're more Roxas if anything else." The helmeted boy scoffed.

"I do not look like Roxas! Roxas is a blonde and I'm a bru-" the boy turned to look at his reflection in the window mirror, eyes widened. "A blonde…?" He trailed off, shocked. This annoying guy was right! He _did_ look like Roxas.

"Ven, are you alright?" Mickey asked, confused and concerned.

"Ven? Who's Ven?" The blonde asked Mickey, tilting his head in confusion for a moment, thinking. "I've never met a 'Ven'. C'mon!"

The blonde whirled to face the helmeted boy.

"Maybe you're 'Ven', because you're certainly not me!" He exclaimed.

The helmeted boy crossed his arms, annoyed.

"I'm obviously, Sora, _Roxas._ " He responded. "I wouldn't think my Nobody was so _pathetic._ "

"How come you're wearing a mask? Take it off!" The blonde complained, reaching toward to grab at the helmet. In defiance, the helmeted boy placed his hands on the other's wrists. The moment the two made contact, there was a POOF! and a sudden cloud surrounded the two. When the dust settled, the two boys were gone and Sora was back in their place.

Nobody said anything for a moment, it being generally accepted that everyone in the room was equally confused.

"Uh, what just happened to me?" Sora said nervously, hugging his chest. His body was tingling weirdly all over, the brunet visibly shaking.

Riku and Kairi opened their mouth, but were shushed by Yen Sid raising his hand before they could speak.

"What do you think just happened, Sora?" Yen Sid asked calmly.

"I don't know. I felt like I was in two places at once, torn apart. It was wrong." Sora shuddered, closing his eyes. He hated that feeling.

"Do you have any clue what's going on with Sora, Master Yen Sid?" Mickey asked nervously.

"Sora, do you know anyone by the name Ventus or Vanitas?" He asked the brunet.

"Sort of, but only vaguely. Are they important?" Sora asked, concerned. He wanted answers.

"Yeah, who are Ventus and Vanitas?" Riku cut in.

"They are two keyblade wielders from long ago. Ven was a fellow apprentice and friend, while Vanitas worked with Xehanort. Both had their hearts destroyed together." Mickey said.

"Master Xehanort?!" The three exclaimed, shocked.

"I didn't think I still had some piece of darkness still in me from the Mark of Mastery Exam." Sora said, disappointed. He never would have thought such a large portion of darkness would still have a hold on him.

"Although Vanitas worked under Xehanort, Vanitas wasn't a vessel that we knew of. We don't know why he wanted to forge the x-blade either. Ventus sadly became a ramification of Vanitas' scheme." Yen Sid went on.

"And they are those two we just saw?" Kairi asked.

Mickey nodded.

"Ventus don't seem to remember, though, it's no mistake. Those were Ventus and Vanitas." Mickey replied, shaking his head in dismay.

"Are you saying I'm these two people? It makes no sense." Sora said. "My heart is mine, and mine alone."

"That's the weird thing. These two people _claimed_ to be you, Sora." Riku pointed out, glancing at the brunet. This situation was certainly odd. One of the two boys looked like Roxas, while one of them shared the look of what he could remember he had when he was possessed by Ansem years back. The helmet was also pretty suspicious. It was a mystery what could be hidden under it.

"I wouldn't-. I'd never work for Master Xehanort willingly! Kai, you believe me, right?" Sora expressed, desperately looking to her.

"I know, Sora." Kairi said softly, rubbing his shoulder for a second to comfort her friend.

"What's our next move, Master Yen Sid? The situation is unprecedented. Something must've happened to their hearts after the battle with Aqua and I. It's a wonder they ended up with Sora." Mickey said turning to the older man.

"We could try Master Yen Sid's spell again." Kairi suggested, speaking up. "Ask some questions, see what they know."

"They didn't seem to remember." Riku dismissed, shaking his head. "Though, I wouldn't put it past one of Xehanort's affiliates to lie."

"We could try and get Ventus to remember. Mickey seems to be close with him." Kairi continued, a smile growing on her face despite the situation.

"That's also a problem." Mickey said quietly, closing his eyes for a moment. "Vanitas wasn't a friend. Even if we believe that he really has amnesia, he was an enemy; working with Xehanort towards the resurrection of the x-blade and Kingdom Hearts. There may be an aftereffect that when Ventus remembers, Vanitas might as well, and if he remembers he might turn against us." Mickey elaborated. The redhead frowned, glancing over at Sora then back at Mickey.

"We never know unless we try." She said, saddening. Her violet eyes stayed pinned to the floor, hands fidgeting with each other.

Riku sighed.

"Kairi's plan is our only plan right now, so my vote is with her." Riku said in defeat. Kairi's eyes snapped open and she glanced up at her friend, a new hope in her eyes.

"Since it's my identity that's at stake, I say we give it a go." Sora said smiling triumphantly. Kairi appreciated his enthusiasm and gave him a nod of gratitude.

Master Yen Sid and Mickey exchanged glances, before the old wizard sighed in defeat.

"If Ventus or Vanitas show hostility, I expect you two to be properly prepared to deal with it." Yen Sid said. Riku and Kairi nodded, going into battle stances. Riku was better equipped to handle a threat, but Kairi was catching up in terms of Keyblade wielding, only lacking any real experience. Not that she wanted to get it now.

"Ready, Sora?" The Old Wizard asked.

"Yeah. Let's give it a shot." Sora said.

Master Yen Sid closed his eyes, repeating the same spell from before. It didn't seem to be draining to his magical performance, casting it with ease.

Again, Sora poofed into cloud, this time less powerful; easier on the eyes. When the dust cleared, "Ventus" and "Vanitas" were standing casually beside each other.

"Ugh, it feels weird whenever I change." 'Ventus' said, shuddering. He reached his arms up, stretching, before crossing them behind his head.

"Nobody asked for your opinion, idiot." 'Vanitas' snarled, crossing his arms.

'Ventus' glared at 'Vanitas' for a moment with distaste, before looking at Kairi and softening his eyes.

"So, Kairi, where do you want us to begin?" 'Ventus' said. Kairi was taken aback, startled by this Roxas look-alike speaking to her so casually.

"Uh, you're not freaked out?" Kairi asked cautiously.

"What? We said we were going along with your plan, so let's give it a shot." 'Ventus' said.

"Even though I still think it's ridiculous. This wimp doesn't look like he's seen even a shadow, much less darkness. Are you sure he worked with Master Xehanort?" 'Vanitas' asked, staring down at Mickey through his helmet, a thumb pointed at 'Ventus'.

" _You're_ supposed to be Vanitas, _he's_ supposed to be Ventus." Mickey said nervously, eyes constantly dancing between the two.

"Oh." Vanitas said. His fingers stopped fidgeting and he gripped his upper arms, anger teaming beneath the skin. " _Tch_. Does it look like I'd be affiliated with Xehanort? I've defeated him twice, one of those times after he hurt both my friends."

Riku and Kairi exchanged glances.

"F-friends?" Kairi asked reluctantly, turning to Vanitas. The helmeted boy scoffed, seemingly rolling his eyes under his helmet.

"You and Riku. Do I have to spell everything out? The longer I stay like this, the more on edge I feel." He said, grumbling his last line.

"Really?" Kairi said, managing to hear his words.

"I'd never hate you guys. I'm just a little grumpy about what this magic is doing to my appearance and brain." Vanitas said with a sigh. He reached up to this helmet and lifted it off his head, revealing his true appearance.

"Wow." 'Ventus' said, surprised.

"What?" 'Vanitas' growled, annoyed.

"You look like Sora, but younger. The hair and eyes are different too." Riku responded, looking over Vanitas' revealed face. The resemblance was off, seeing as he did look definitely younger, but still uncanny.

" _Now that my body is about perish, you and I will have to join together!"_

The voice flashed through Ventus' head, matching the raven haired boy to a T, even if his lips didn't move.

"Hey, did you say something?" Ventus asked.x

"I was just about to comment how I _am_ Sora, so I should look _like_ Sora and to point it out was insanely dumb, but no, I did not yet say it out loud." Vanitas said, voice flat. " _Whoops_ , looks like I just _did._ "

 _I must've imagined it, then._ Ventus thought.

"Let's stop arguing, okay? We came out to get our memories back." Ventus said, shaking his head. This wasn't making any progress.

" _Your_ memories. Not _mine_." Vanitas said, scratching behind his ear, helmet tucked under his other arm. "I don't want to remember _supposedly_ working for Xehanort. I don't want to forget how much I **hate** him."

"Okay, Vanitas." Kairi answered.

Vanitas flinched.

" _Creatures from Ventus driven, the name Vanitas will be given."_

The strange words of a distant man spoke. The name Vanitas was a salty one, that's for sure. Perhaps Xehanort had named him…

No, he wasn't going to think about that jerk and risk digging up his past. He liked Riku and Kairi, relationships he didn't want to ruin so easily because of his supposed dark past. Sora was a better name, flowed easily.

"So, Mickey have any idea on what we could do to jog Ventus' memories?" Kairi asked, smiling.

"Before we do that, I'm afraid we'll have to detain Vanitas, so that we know he won't go back to working for Xehanort." Mickey said, swiftly summoning his keyblade.

"What?! I told you, I don't want to be associated with him!" Vanitas replied, shocked.

Yen Sid uttered an incantation and much to Vanitas' dismay, white chains appeared on his arms, binding him.

Ventus appeared confused, unable to process fast enough what was going on.

"We'll keep him here overnight until we can decide a better plan." Mickey decided. "Is that a good plan of action, Master Yen Sid?"

Ventus hasn't noticed with all the havoc, but the stars had appeared on the sky outside. They were meeting up with the twilight gang around lunch time, and he'd been knocked out for awhile after that. The thought of such a time was making him tired.

"Very well." Yen Sid approved.

"Wait, what if he manages to break free and summon a keyblade? He'll escape easily." Riku pointed out.

Vanitas pressed his eyebrows together, his expression solemn. He never would've expected Riku to say such a thing.

"Riku…" Vanitas whispered, truly hurt by his words. Even Riku looked guilty after noticing Vanitas' expression.

"Kairi, it seems it has come to test out your new ability." Yen Sid said with a nod in her direction.

"New ability?" Ventus asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kairi looked embarrassed for a moment, cheeks turning red at the sudden spotlight.

"Uh, so, since I'm a princess of light, I guess, I have the ability to create a lock that cannot be opened, at least from what we've tested, keyblade or otherwise." Kairi admitted, fidgeting with a strand of her hair. Lea and Riku had tried to various degrees to get her lock open and none of them budged a bit. Kairi had to admire Lea's fervent determination.

"We'll have to keep Ventus here as well for the night, seeing as he can't exactly return to Destiny Islands in that state." Mickey said. "That all right, Ven?"

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Ventus said with a weak laugh. He turned to Riku.

"Can you tell my mom I'm sorry, okay?" Ventus asked, saddened at the thought of her worrying about him.

"I'll cover for Sora." Riku said with a small nod. Ventus nodded back in appreciation, an unsure smile on his features.

" _Tch."_ Vanitas remarked quietly, not pleased with his situation. The dark aura radiating off of him caused Ventus to shiver.

"Then it seems our business is finished for today. Kairi, if you would please…"

* * *

Vanitas had been silently pleading with his eyes as Kairi shut the door on him. The eyes she saw, were they really his? Were they even blue anymore?

He sat down on the bed, these feelings milling around inside him with no profit to be seen. Roxas, or better yet an unknown guy named Ventus, was "back" and claimed to be him. Though, really, they both seemed equally bewildered. Old keyblade apprentices that Mickey had just _failed_ to mention? It had Vanitas scoffing.

Who were 'Ventus' and 'Vanitas', and if they were so important, why not bring them up sooner? His own identity as 'Vanitas', an apparent apprentice to Xehanort, was the most unconvincing statement ever uttered in all of his years of traveling worlds and fighting with oversized keys. He'd never purposefully betray his friends, and was working towards gaining better control over his darkness.

Speaking of the element made his blood boil, but not in anger, rather, excitement. Itching to do anything, bring about _something_ , yet that 'something' had Vanitas wary. It didn't seem to be 'good' as he detected, more so ominous and destructive. He had to suppress and contain this feeling, so it may not affect his fragile relationship with the others.

He looked towards his door, thinking of the other Sora that lay beyond it.

Meanwhile, Ventus was left in his bedroom all alone. He laid down, staring up at the ceiling through eyes that weren't his, in a body that felt foreign and a mind filled with empty spaces and times of running on the sand of Destiny Isles. It was quiet and empty in this room. He stood up and walked over to the mirror, the first time properly seeing this form. It didn't seem true, but the virtual image before him said otherwise. Something was wrong with him, and maybe the other Sora knew why.

He crept quietly down the hallway, stopping at Vanitas' room. He knocked before pressing his ear to the door and speaking.

"Hello?" Ventus asked.

"What? Come to gloat? If you are, than you should just leave." Vanitas snarled. Ventus winced.

"I was just wondering if you're really Sora…" Ventus whispered. Vanitas rolled his eyes.

"You really are an idiot. Of course I am Sora! I grew up on Destiny Islands and my best friends are Riku and Kairi… at least, they're supposed to be. I don't know if friends lock each other up and treat them like prisoners, though." Vanitas snapped, ending on a bitter note. Ventus tensed up. The word had him on thin ice.

"You know, I'm not an idiot. Stop calling me one." Ventus said, growing annoyed with the nickname.

"If not an idiot, you're just slow. If you think before you say stupid stuff, you'll end up looking like you know what you're doing." Vanitas complained.

"We should have the same amount of memories, so don't act like you know more than me. Call me something else, preferably Sora, though, it's apparently 'Ventus' now." Ventus explained with a sigh, crossing his arms.

"You're really going to keep insisting you're me?" Vanitas asked.

"Hey! You know Mickey wouldn't lie!" Ventus objected, fists tightening.

"Ignoring the fact he said I worked with Xehanort, which is pretty crazy... Fine, let's take turns answering questions and the first person to get one wrong isn't the real Sora." Vanitas proposed. Ventus clenched his teeth.

"I don't have anything to prove to you!" Ventus exclaimed.

"Really? Sounds like you're chicken, _Roxas_." Vanitas edged on, smiling. Why was this so much fun? All that teasing Riku had given him when he was younger, it must've been so easy, Vanitas could see that now. So many buttons to push.

Ventus was visibly angered, narrowing his eyes at the door.

"You're on! Where was I born?" Ventus challenged.

"Easy, the only hospital in Destiny Islands is N. Tatsuya Hospital. Where did I first meet Riku?" Vanitas said.

"Providence Park, although we never really visit there because of the beach. What was the lowest grade I ever got in school?" Ventus asked back.

"Pfft, you think I remember those things? All my scores were average, high enough to keep my parents happy and not look stupid." Vanitas answered, walking over to sit with his back to the door.

"Yeah, okay, you're right." Ventus lamented, sitting down in the same position. He grew comfortable against the door frame, having gotten into this conversation more thoroughly than he originally intended to.

"How long was Roxas alive?" Vanitas asked. Ventus raised an eyebrow, put off at the curveball thrown at him. He did _not_ see that coming.

"Exactly one year, if you count the days inside the simulation…" Ventus gave an unsure answer. Roxas did give him all of his memories, though, nobody else really knew that. He just hadn't had the chance to tell the others, especially because he felt it was something special that Roxas had specifically entrusted him with. He wanted to keep the importance of those memories alive.

 _Why would Vanitas ask such a weird thing?_ Ventus thought.

"Correct, and I am counting them." Vanitas proudly smirked, seemingly unfazed by the strange question.

"Uh, next question." Ventus spoke, trying to recollect himself. Thinking of a question, he blushed. "When did I get Mr. Snuffles?"

"Are you serious?" Vanitas snorted, flabbergasted and also amused by the odd subject.

"Answer the question." Ventus demanded, embarrassed. Too late to get out of this now.

"When I was four, specifically after I was released from the hospital. Could your question be any more stupid?" Vanitas said, shifting around uncomfortably.

"It was the most obscure thing I could think of short notice." Ventus defended.

"Well, I've got a harder question. What is the one object I've never lost?" Vanitas asked, smiling.

"Are you kidding me? It's my neckla-" Ventus' hand went up to his empty chest and his fingers fumbled around in his shirt frantically. The blonde looked up, eyes wide.

"I don't have it." Ventus whispered. "Do you know where it is?"

Vanitas' own face went into alarm.

"Don't blame me! I thought you had it!" Vanitas exclaimed. His voice wasn't hampered by the fact that he knew Yen Sid was a _very_ deep sleeper. It was like trying to wake up a rock.

"I told you I don't! I don't even know where my normal clothes go anyways when I'm like this." Ventus explained.

"Right? Do you think I have any idea what this outfit is made of? Who wears a skirt like this anyways?!" Vanitas agreed, lifting his cuffed arms for a moment to look down at the weird skirt like fabric that hung around his waist.

"I haven't even checked the pockets of this guy, hold on, I know there's stuff in here…" Ventus trailed off, reaching down into his pant pockets.

"Ah, found something." Ventus said. He grabbed hold onto an object that seemed to be just as big as his palm, weirdly shaped from what he could feel.

" _I can't help it. You two would make the weirdest brothers."_

It was that girl's voice again. The one he heard in Twilight Town. It made him freeze.

"Come on, what does it look like?" Vanitas encouraged, entertained by the conversation.

Ventus shook the confusion from his head, bringing out the charm and looking down at it displayed within his palm. It was a star of some sort, green and made with delicate precision. He could feel the love and powerful connection this mysterious item held.

 _"Oh yeah. Terra, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow. I made us good luck charms. Here!"_

The blurry image of a girl smiling appeared in front of him, quickly leaving from his mind the moment he blinked, water spilling out onto his face. Tears.

"I... I think I'm crying." Ventus said, unsure. Vanitas' lifted an eyebrow, unable to see what was causing this sudden tonal shift. Where was Ventus? Ventus, come back.

"Ventus, what's wrong?" Vanitas asked softly.

"I don't know." Ventus said, putting a hand to his face to check that indeed, the tears _were there._

"Are you sad?" Vanitas continued. There were feelings stirring in him too. Concern, regret… satisfaction? Quite an ugly thing, Vanitas decided.

"I'm unsure what I'm feeling." Ventus said, more tears dropping onto the green glass. "Something about a Mark of Mastery Exam."

"Look, if you're that upset about losing to Riku, you should probably say something about it." Vanitas suggested. Ventus shook his head, sniffing.

"No, it was a different Exam, one I wasn't apart of. There was a guy named, T-, T-, _ah,_ I can't say it properly." Ventus tried to explain. "I feel that we were close, somehow."

"I'll remind you to ask Mickey tomorrow, okay? Well, if his Majesty would even trust me." Vanitas said with a sigh. Ventus blinked, a few more tears falling onto his cheeks.

"Hey, Vanitas, why are you being nice all of a sudden?" Ventus asked, wiping his tears.

"Wow, that was a rude statement. I thought I was supposed to be Xehanort's apprentice, not you." Vanitas said, earning a huff from Ventus, "Is it weird if I care? We may be different people, but we're both Sora and both amnesiacs. You're the closest person to me that understands what I'm going through. You even came over to talk to me when I thought everyone hated me."

"Vanitas…" Ventus spoke, sympathetic. "I guess we're leaving the Sora thing at a tie, then?"

"There's no way around it." Vanitas sighed. "Hey, can you try and get this door open?"

"Didn't Kairi say it can't be unlocked by normal means?" Ventus asked, slowly getting up from the floor. He wiped the dust off of his pants, grounding himself.

"Still, can't you at least try?" Vanitas asked, jumping to his feet. Nice to know his mobility wasn't hindered by his chained hands.

"Sure, I guess." Ventus shrugged. He summoned a keyblade to his hand, but it wasn't Kingdom key. It was different and backwards, almost like half of a gear from a clock. He paused for a moment, admiring it. An old energy was buzzing to life once more in his palm.

"Ventus?" Vanitas said, questioning whether or not he had left him after a moment of unresponsiveness.

"Yeah, one second." Ventus was a snapped out of his awe and pointed his keyblade at the door lock, taking a more serious stance. To his surprise, light shot out of the end and promptly unlocked the door. Ventus hesitated before opening the knob, bracing himself for if this had been a rouse and Vanitas was standing there waiting to attack him.

But he wasn't.

"Thanks." Vanitas said, nodding.

"So, what now? You can't just escape from here, because it will be suspicious." Ventus said, keyblade disappearing. "I'm surprised we didn't bring Yen Sid running with our conversation, for how long it went on."

"I've got an idea." Vanitas proposed, a sly grin on his face. Ventus remained confused. The chains, could they be broken? He doubted his magic could make a dent.

"What is it?" Ventus asked.

"You don't need to do anything, just stand still." Vanitas explained, walking towards the blonde.

"Huh?" Ventus expressed. Before he could properly react, Vanitas had come over to him, gently pressing their foreheads together. Ventus felt a wave of calm run over his being, _letting go_ and giving in to what he was meant to be. What he _wanted_ to be. They turned into a shimmer of light, and soon, Sora was standing there all alone. It felt cathartic, almost like simply breathing, the whole process natural and sound.

Sora slowly opened his eyes and looked down to see the white chains break off his body with a small " _Clink!"._ The brunet rubbed his wrist, the ghost of chains on his skin making him uncomfortable.

"This is better, at least." Sora noted quietly. Remembering something, he fiddled his hand over his chest and enclosed his palm over the cherished necklace.

 **Good, so everything is back.**

He thought to himself.

"Ventus and Vanitas, huh? The names are oddly similar." Sora pondered. Not wanting to stay in his former prison any longer, he made his way back to Ventus' room, pausing when he reached his mirror. He smiled, satisfied with this appearance better.

Lingering only for a second longer, he turned to his bed to embrace the covers. Tomorrow, he would get answers.

* * *

Sora was woken the next day by a knock on his door.

"Ventus, are you alright? I found Vanitas gone and his door unlocked." Yen Sid said. Sora initially panicked, bolting awake.

"Uh, I'm okay! Perfectly Ventus in every single possible way." Sora called trying to make his voice slightly different, yet failing miserably.

"Sora? Is that you?" Yen Sid said, immediately figuring it out.

"Y-yeah, it's me." Sora responded, giving up. He sighed, knowing he would find out sooner or later, but why did it have to be sooner?

"I thought you would have better smarts than to try and deceive a grand wizard such as myself. Come on out." Yen Sid commanded.

Slowly, Sora dragged himself towards the door, opening it and nervously facing the tall Master. Said Master, was not pleased.

"Firstly, I told Ventus not to talk to Vanitas, but what puzzles me further is how they managed to get the door open." Yen Sid said, crossing his arms.

"Well, it wasn't that hard really. I opened it with my keyblade, like I would with any other door." Sora told him, shrugging. It wasn't really that big of a deal for him, if anything, the so called lock was somewhat of a disappointment, with no offence to Kairi or her abilities. He had been at this "keyblade" thing longer than Kairi had.

"Wait, don't tell me you used the x-blade?!" Yen Sid asked urgently, tone extremely serious.

"What else would I use? The keyblade can open any lock, can't it? It looked different though, look." Sora said, trying to explain. He reached out his hand and Wayward Wind was summoned to him, the sight of it making Yen Sid sigh with relief. His serious tone did not light up however.

"Sora, there is an extremely important reason to which I cannot disclose as to why we were trying to keep Ventus and Vanitas separate. Your co-operation to Master Mickey's and my orders are crucial to Ventus' recovery." Yen Sid explained. "As for this reason, I'm separating them again."

"Okay, but this time, can you please not lock me up in a room again? I really don't want to be treated like a prisoner anymore. I'm not affiliated with Xehanort, I promise." Sora begged. The way Sora was talking confused Yen Sid, him shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, Sora, we must detain Vanitas until Master Mickey and I discuss a proper way to deal with him acting as potential threat." Yen Sid said.

"But-" Sora defended.

"Do I make myself clear?" Yen Sid commanded.

Sora remained silent, frowning. His fists clenched for a moment, too irritated to meet Yen Sid's gaze.

Yen Sid started casting the incantation and Sora began to glow with white light. The brunet winced, body feeling fuzzy for a moment, until everything went cold. He blinked, untensing and looking down at his hands, partially confused as to why nothing changed.

"Why has the spell failed?" Yen Sid muttered to himself, perplexed. He tried the spell again and it produced the same fruitless result.

"Why would I separate when I know you'll end up hurting me?" Sora said quietly. These emotions inside him, one originating out of fear while the other was out of protection. Now that was a weird feeling: wasn't it _supposed_ to be something akin to self-preservation?

Yen Sid re-evaluated the problem. Perhaps it was a spell that only worked with the approval of the intended subject. If so, the problem would be that Sora had allowed it the previous two times, and currently was denying him the desired result.

"Sora, Vanitas was affiliated with Master Xehanort and worked adamantly with darkness." Yen Sid explained, knowing this had to be truly understood, not just heard.

"So what? I don't remember anything about that, nor do I want to! The pain, the loneliness I felt during the Mastery exam: it was horrible." The tears that seemed unreachable as 'Vanitas' came so easily when he was as Sora, his anger smoothing out into sadness. "What if I hurt my friends? Riku or Kairi? Anybody else… I just want to be able to exist without causing you guys pain."

Yen Sid seemed moved by Sora's words as the brunet shook visibly. He could feel the hurt within Sora's words and heart. Roxas was probably in there too, although none of them could've known that.

"Alright. As the primary Master I officially deem Vanitas as not a current threat for the time being, as long as he maintains good behavior. He will not be permitted to leave alone or train, but is free to roam so long as someone else is nearby keeping an eye on him." Yen Sid gave.

"Really?" Sora said, blinking away the last of his tears. His mouth widened into a grin, giddy with excitement.

"Do not make me regret my decision: these rules are to be followed at all times. Vanitas and Ventus must never fight in battle, do I make myself clear?" Yen Sid ordered.

Sora straightened up with a salute.

"Yes, Master." Sora said, smiling. Suddenly, he burst into light, and Ventus and Vanitas were standing there, holding each other's hands before breaking.

"Thanks." Ventus said smiling, rubbing his neck.

"Did you two just appear within your own terms?" Yen Sid said, blinking. His spell had not called them forth.

"Does it matter? You said I wasn't a prisoner anymore, old man." Vanitas commented with a serious tone, crossing his arms. Ventus was completely oblivious to the silent war that raged between Vanitas' and Yen Sid's eyes, mind jumping to the most "important topic".

"I smell food. Did you make breakfast?" Ventus asked, brightening up even more.

"I did. It's been already prepared by the finest magic means." Yen Sid said, not sure what to make of the sudden shift in tone. Sora was full of surprises, and even if he did not know Ventus that well, he seemed to be the same in that regard.

"Let's go eat, Vanitas." Ventus said, excited. "I've never eaten an entire meal made from magic before!"

"I know, I have the same memories." Vanitas sighed, rolling his eyes. Ventus walked off into the eating room, Vanitas faithfully following behind without a hint of resistance.

As Yen Sid watched their silhouettes, he began to wonder if he had even made the right choice at all.

* * *

 _ **AN: I finally mustered the courage to publish this! Yay! Friendly reminder to readers that questions are welcomed and encouraged; because I put a lot of effort into this, when people notice the subtleties, it gives me a reason to gush about them.** – Because I have a feeling pronouns may be an issue, I'll clarify them here. Sora, Ventus, Vanitas, Riku, etc are all he/him, while if you talk about two characters collectively, it's the usual they/them. Ventus and Vanitas do not see themselves as separate beings while being Sora, so he prefers "he/him". To have a conversation with either Ventus or Vanitas about Sora would be really confusing for them, and it'd be like referring to either one in the third person. When Sora recounts a memory of Ventus' or Vanitas', he will use "I/me" due to this same reason. If you want to leave a review and refer to Vanitas and Ventus collectively being Sora, it's fine to use they/them, but never if you're referring to Sora as his own character. Sora doesn't see Ventus or Vanitas as separate entities, just merely extensions of his existence. _


	2. Wayfinders, Portals, and Darkness, Oh My

_AN: If anyone is wondering, Ventus gets Roxas, while Vanitas gets Xion when they're split like that. Both of them can share Roxas' memories, but Roxas is physically with Ventus. Anybody ever wonder why Xion's hair was black, hmm? Regardless, I play around with some game mechanics in a fun way here, and I'm really proud of it. (Also, Yen Sid is the secret MVP and some of you guys seem to agree with me. He will continue to be the secret MVP and skillfully avoid conflict as best as he can.) Enjoyyyy!_

* * *

Neither of them had seen a breakfast table this full before. They supposed the gross overestimation was due to their magical source, and yet, the two could not hold back their wonder. Ventus was more expressive, Vanitas' own face less so. Vanitas still contained the same level of amazement within him.

"This is bigger than Aunt Rosa's wedding banquet." Ventus commented, grinning wide. Vanitas tried to gather himself, still mostly speechless from the sight. Half of these foods he'd never even _seen_ before.

"Yeah, Grandma _sure_ taught mom and her to appreciate food." Vanitas hummed, eying the huge pile for size. He missed his mom and the smell of her cakes every night as she tried to bake all of her daily stress away. Blueberry, strawberry: red velvet was his personal favourite, and she'd make it for him every year on his birthday. Would she recognize him in this form? Even love…?

Suddenly, Vanitas didn't feel too hungry anymore.

Yen Sid approached from behind him, Vanitas snapping out of his thoughts in order to move aside.

"I have to go deliver this downstairs to Lea. He's quite a sloth on his days off, and won't eat unless I bring it to him," Yen Sid sighed. "It rattles the mind's imagination as to what he gets up to down there."

"Couldn't you just teleport it down there?" Ventus proposed. He knew Lea lived in this tower, though not much else about the arrangement. He supposed that Yen Sid had become somewhat of a parental guardian, even if Lea _was_ in his twenties.

"I have to check up on him every now and then. Dig in to your heart's content." Yen Sid nodded, a plate of food hovering beside him in the air as he made his way out the door.

"Oh man!" Ventus exclaimed, filled with joy. The chair was quickly sat in, Ventus eagerly rubbing his hands together. He could hesitate no longer, digging in and gulping down anything that could fit into his hands.

"Slow down, where's the hurry?" Vanitas commented, coming to stand where Ventus was sitting. The blonde had just been inhaling food, Vanitas surprised he managed to eat so fast. Maybe with all the obvious good looks, good skill - let's face it, good everything - Vanitas perhaps got what little force of restraint Sora had.

Ventus ignored him for awhile, going at it. Suddenly, he saw the empty plate set beside him and made a connection in his head.

"Sorry, it's rude to start when you're not even seated. C'mon and sit," Ventus managed to say through a mouthful of food. He patted the spot beside him - not that Vanitas had many options.

Vanitas slowly sat down, watching Ventus go at it full force again. He picked up a few odd fruits, inspecting them. At least, what he _thought_ might be fruits.

He hesitantly ate a few, deciding they tasted good, and began to eat. Ventus hadn't stopped for a second, however.

"Idiot, do you want to get a stomach ache?" Vanitas berated, ripping off the piece of meat from a bone. Ventus stopped, eyes widening.

"You're right- hey, wait, what did I say about calling me that?!" Ventus complained, whipping himself around to narrow his eyes at his offender. He was less threatening than usual due to the leftover crumbs dotting his face.

"I can't help it. The truth just loves to flow from my lips," Vanitas smirked, leaning back in his chair. "Just like you can't help being an idiot."

Without warning Vanitas leaned too far back, causing him to fall off his chair. Ventus laughed at him, deciding it was okay if it was Vanitas.

"Are you okay?" Ventus said through his laughing. Vanitas was burning up, starting to steam with anger. He quickly scrambled to his feet, face red with all of his blushing.

"Well you, you-" Vanitas stammered, trying to come up with a good comeback. Ventus had continued to laugh, before finally suffering from his fated stomach ache.

"Ha, serves you right for laughing," Vanitas triumphed as Ventus bent over, clutching his stomach and groaning.

"Juuussst shuttt uuuppp." Ventus whined. He didn't like how the tables had suddenly turned.

"What is going on in here?" Yen Sid commanded their attention, entering the room to see Ventus leaning over in pain and Vanitas standing over him. Vanitas shut his mouth, eyes widening. This looked bad, _really_ bad. He was going to have his newly regained freedom snatched away from him yet again, and all because Yen Sid walked in at the wrong time. Where was pity from this universe?

"Master Yen Sid, I can explain–" Vanitas stated desperately. A muffled sound from Yen Sid's mouth stopped him however.

"My, you two boys really have made a mess now, haven't you." Yen Sid announced with a defeated sigh, making his way to sit in a giant chair positioned at the end of the table. Vanitas just stood, speechless. He did not know what to make of Yen Sid's calm demeanor.

The man neatly unfolded a napkin as he caused a plate and cutlery to float over to him, acting as if what he saw was nothing more than normal behaviour. Ventus was just groaning, making his way to sit back at the table. Every movement was an effort.

"Come now, that chair will not pick itself back up, will it?" Yen Sid directed at Vanitas, causing the boy to jump.

"Huh? – Oh." Vanitas said, shaking his head and gathering himself together. Had Yen Sid really not noticed what just happened? Hoping to catch him off guard and have him confess to a crime he did not commit? It was Ventus' fault anyways for overeating.

He sat back down at the table, reserved from touching anything and ruining this unsure peace.

"You really shouldn't have eaten many of those Fairy Berries. Having one is sweet, but two is foul. It's a fruit that Fairies use to play pranks on one another." Yen Sid advised. Vanitas looked over to see all of these supposed Fairy Berries scattered and eaten, probably by Ventus.

"C'mon, you didn't mention _that._ " Ventus whined, head rested on the table as he still held his stomach. He looked drained of energy as he groaned.

"It seems you do not truly remember, then." Yen Sid commented to himself. Looking from Yen Sid to Ventus, everything started to piece together for Vanitas.

It dawned on him now, that Yen Sid purposefully let them be alone together: why else would he stress Vanitas' supervision only to leave a manner of minutes later? This wasn't just a test for him, but for Ventus too, trying to see if he'd eat the fruit that he knew was a poison. Old fart had been playing them all along.

"I told you not to eat so much." Vanitas grumbled, punching Ventus' shoulder. It was fine if he just hit the sleeve. He just couldn't touch Ventus' physical body, otherwise they'd fuse together.

"Oh yeah?" Ventus said, sitting up with a sly look on his face. Vanitas didn't have time to react before Ventus had a hand on his shoulder and pulled their foreheads together. They became light, morphing into Sora.

"Hey, it doesn't hurt anymore!" Sora exclaimed. Their equilibrium must've caused his body to settle, Ventus' attempt at sharing his suffering with Vanitas having failed.

"Will you not change back, now that the pain has passed?" Yen Sid commented, cutting a piece of meat with his cutlery.

"Nah, being me is much better. Though, it was unfair of you to not warn me about the berries." Sora explained, starting to eat once again. He didn't remember anything about his supposed past life, much less something as small as a trick fairies might use on each other.

"Do you not mean Ventus?" Yen Sid corrected. Sora rolled his eyes, reaching over for the salt.

"...Yeah, I _guess_." Sora grumbled. He _was_ Ventus, old man. When would he understand?

* * *

"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed, entering the world waving her hand. Sora sported his own grin, welcoming her to this island in the sky.

"Hey Kai, hey Riku!" Sora greeted. The two people in question walked over to him, Kairi holding a delicately wrapped box in her hands.

"How is my mom? Wait, don't tell me-" Sora was taking the box from Kairi's hands, "she baked a cake, didn't she?"

"Yep, that's Sora's mom for you: always baking. She asked us to bring it over in order to sate your sweet tooth," Riku then chuckled, "can't go too long without sweets, can you, Sora?"

Sora swung the box around, almost as if to protect it.

"Well if you're on a path of abstinence from sweetness, then that's more cake for me, Kairi, and Mickey too; Yen Sid if he wants a slice." Sora noted, stealing a glance at the master.

"And Lea, if he wants to crawl out of his basement lair, which is highly unlikely." Kairi added.

"Come now, Sora, you know I never said anything about that," Riku said.

"Oh no, I could feel what you were implying. Good luck with your diet Riku." Sora carried on, starting to open the box. Riku sighed, a small smile on his face. Yen Sid had come over, looming over the trio.

"Now is not the time to eat cake," Yen Sid declared, "Cake is not a breakfast food."

As the Master walked away, Sora stared at him with a small amount of annoyance, licking a bit of icing off the cake with his finger in a small act of defiance.

"Speaking of, didn't Ventus and Vanitas show up last night? Why are they gone?" Riku asked, curiosity getting the better of him. Sora closed up the box, wrapping it back up, albeit in a more dishelven matter.

"I like being me. This is who I am," Sora answered, shrugging. "I have to train today, though, Kai, do you mind holding the box again for a second?"

"Yeah sure, why?" She asked, taking the box back into her grasp. As soon as it left his hands, Sora clapped his hands together and a white flash of light signaled the reappearance of Ventus and Vanitas.

They both then reached for the box. Quickly, they eyed the other and Ventus gave, letting Vanitas go for the box. He was going to train after all.

Vanitas was about to touch the box, before he heard the sound of keyblades being summoned. Kairi had pulled the box away from him, and joined Riku in pointing her blade at him. The ravenet was frozen in thin air, stealing a glance up at them, confused.

"Uh?" Vanitas couldn't see anything wrong with his actions, forgetting his position of the current list of enemies of darkness. Ventus, perhaps still regarding Vanitas as an adversary, acknowledged there was something wrong here.

"Vanitas," Ventus whispering, reaching out to touch his shoulder. Vanitas grew tense when the two made contact and they turned back into Sora, the brunet standing there, sweating.

"You can put them down now, okay?" Sora gulped. Kairi and Riku both slowly fulfilled his request, looking towards Yen Sid for answers. Sora also looked over at him, hands in his pockets.

After Yen Sid informed everyone else later of their arrangement, there seemed to be little to no arguing with the powerful wizard, his glare forcing Riku into submission at his signs of protest.

It was decided they would train in the courtyard Yen Sid had summoned outside his tower. Riku and Mickey were assigned to teaching Ventus about wielding his new keyblade, even if Riku for the most part felt uncomfortable teaching something he wasn't really comfortable doing himself. Mickey told him that he could consider it as part of his 'teacher' training, if Riku as a Master ever decided to teach someone else.

Begrudgingly, Sora unfused into Ventus and Vanitas. The blonde secretly squeezed the other boy's hand to reassure him, seeing as they often ended up holding hands when they unfused. Any other contact after that would summon Sora back.

"I'll do my best, so watch me and cheer me on, okay?!" Ventus assured Kairi and Vanitas, grinning. Vanitas just crossed his shoulders and shrugged.

"Whatever Roxas, not like I really care." Vanitas chuckled apathetically. Ventus narrowed his eyes at him, being able to see the tiny bit of teasing in his voice. It was Vanitas' way of coping with his horrible situation, pretending he was above the blonde.

"Hey Riku, go easy on him, alright?" Kairi yelled to Riku, smiling.

"Sure thing!" Riku called back.

"He-Hey! Wait a second! Don't go and decide things for me, I'm still tougher than you!" Ventus yelled at Riku as he left Vanitas and Kairi on the side lines to join his friend in battle.

This left Kairi to sit out, still a pupil herself, enjoying her day off. When she turned, Vanitas was already sitting on the bench, viewing the fighters with a bored expression.

The thought of remembering kept him restrained, however. He knew Vanitas was a keyblade wielder, and bringing the blade forth would probably be a bad idea. Even now, he could feel the echoes of the handle in his palm, ready to come to his aid need be.

"Thanks again, Mickey." Ventus said.

"No problem, Ven. I might not be good at this, because I don't have the same style as you, but it's worth a shot." Mickey replied. Ventus tilted his head.

"Hey, I'm just curious, but why do you call me Ven?" Ventus asked. Mickey paused.

"It's a nickname Aqua came up with." Mickey said solemnly, a look of regret in his eyes.

"Who is she?" Ventus asked. The name sounded familiar, a foggy face running quickly through his mind before dissolving like dust.

Mickey's eyes widened in shock, then furrowed together.

"She is a good friend of mine. I'll tell you about her later." Mickey said quietly, shaking his head. That wasn't a good idea. Not so soon after he had gotten Ventus back.

Ventus shrugged, quickly going back into a battle stance.

While Mickey and Ventus brandished their swords to fight, Kairi took this time to examine Xehanort's supposed former apprentice. He seemed calm and collected; meticulously able to keep his actions under restraint. Cool and calculated, unlike Sora. His posture was a balance between stern and relaxed, eyes watching the training patiently and observably. He looked harmless, but Kairi could feel the underlying, not yet provoked darkness, seeping out of him slowly and quietly.

His golden eyes turned towards her, a small flicker of annoyance in his features.

"Why're you staring at me, Kai?" Vanitas asked, suspicious.

Her violet eyes quickly darted away.

"Ah, sorry. You just look so much like him, Sora. But, you're still kind of Sora, but not?" Kairi stumbled around with her words before sighing, defeated "I don't know."

"I'm just as confused as you are. Not everyday you find out you have amnesia and are not really even yourself. This is worse than finding out about Roxas. Can't I just stay one person for once?" Vanitas said with the smallest of smiles. Originally, the raven haired boy had come off as cold, and much of that still remained the same; then there'd be moments like these and Kairi would remember Sora was still there, even underneath all that black darkness.

Well, _half_ of Sora anyway.

"Right. Now even Axel's true self has returned, _Lea_. I still manage to mess up his name sometimes." Kairi said with a laugh.

"Hey, I still do too. Don't beat yourself up about it." Vanitas said, crossing his arms and shrugging.

Kairi smiled, satisfied with their current conversation. A voice in her head reminded her that this unknown boy wasn't Sora, just another one of Xehanort's accomplices. It made her almost sour, debating her current stance with Vanitas.

"I wonder if you're limited to this world-" Kairi started, before being cut off.

"Watch out!" Ventus called. Kairi turned her head to see a fireball come straight at her. Vanitas, reacting fast enough, quickly jumped in front of Kairi, holding her body close as they dodge rolled away. The two winced as they hit the cold ground together, narrowly missing the fire ball.

Kairi's eyes were clenched shut as panic raced through her. The world was black around her, yet a colored figure came into focus. Sora looked down at her within this black world, worry filling his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Sora was speaking to her. She opened her eyes and Vanitas replaced him in her view.

Vanitas had untangled himself, looming over the girl with his arms planted firmly on the ground around her head.

"Hey, are you alright?" Vanitas asked again. Kairi took a moment, eyes searching Vanitas' face. He looked irritated, growing more annoyed with every passing second she didn't answer him. He seemed more angry than before. What exactly had she just seen? An illusion, a mirage?

"Yeah, I'm just shaken." Kairi gasped, still stunned from the experience. Everyone rushed towards them, Vanitas standing up and offering his hand to Kairi. Once they were both back on their feet, Vanitas reared his anger towards Ventus.

"What the heck was that?" Vanitas growled.

"Hey, I'm just trying to get a grip of this new keyblade, and a firaga veered off course!" Ventus argued back at Vanitas, returning his anger full force. He could see Vanitas was still steaming, teeth barred and arms crossed in begrudging acceptance. Kairi thought she could see him literally seething, his clothes quivering and changing.

Vanitas thought that perhaps there was a need for that "don't fight Ventus" rule afterall. But to Ventus, Vanitas didn't matter at the moment; Kairi was the focus.

"Are you okay, Kairi?" Ventus asked, concerned.

"I think so. Don't worry." Kairi reassured, the experience having left her a bit shaken. Vanitas had just moved so fast, and his cold hands grabbing her – she shivered uncomfortably at the thought of that huge mass of darkness being near her all at once.

Vanitas must've noticed her unease, closing his eyes for a moment. With a sigh, the illusion of darkness was gone. He turned back to Ventus.

"If you want to throw around fire, wouldn't Lea be a more appropriate redhead, Ventus?" Vanitas added sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

 _Got it memorized?_

Ventus froze at the sudden image flashing through his head. He stumbled, clutching his head in pain.

"Ventus are you okay?" Mickey asked.

Ventus put up one hand to stop Kairi from touching him.

"Y-yeah. I think I'm remembering something." Ventus clarified. Memories of meeting a younger redhead raced through his mind.

"Mickey, what's Radiant Garden?" Ventus asked, steadily recovering. Everyone turned towards Mickey, caughting in a game of ping pong between the two.

"It's the old name of Hollow Bastion." Mickey answered. Oh, that would make sense why his memories didn't quite align with the Hollow Bastion he knew today.

"I never knew it looked that different." Ventus lamented, face saddening in thought.

"What did it look like before?" Riku asked, curious. He'd remained silent for most of the session.

"Well, it was an actual _garden._ Bright and colourful, with trees and flowers; a nice pattern of stones on the ground." Ventus explained to the best of his ability. He suddenly brightened up.

"Hey Mickey, can you take me to the worlds I've been to? It'll probably re-jog my memories if I get to see them!" Ventus proposed excitedly. He was practically beaming.

"That's not too bad of an idea, even for you." Vanitas added on, showing a little bit of pride for the blonde. Still a slow thinker, yet he was getting there.

"I'm sorry to let you down, Ven, but all of those have sadly fell into darkness. Well, besides Radiant Garden, one still exists, though not in the same way." Mickey admitted sadly.

"We can still visit Hollow Bastion, it might help?" Kairi suggested. Riku nodded, agreeing.

"There's people we haven't seen in a long time to visit there. A quick trip can't hurt." Riku said with a shrug of his shoulders. They started discussing getting a gummy ship down at the tower, Vanitas losing interest quickly. He wasn't able to leave, after all.

Vanitas walked over to the edge of the fighting ground, away from the noise. He looked up to the sky, the sun bleeding away and a trail of stars popping up. The sun and moon worked differently at the tower, the equivalent of a single day in his world meaning 3 or more cycles of day and night in here, even if time passed in the same way.

"Is something wrong, Vanitas?" Kairi asked. The boy had peaked Kairi's curiosity, the redhead having jogged over to stand beside him.

The raven haired boy was quiet for a moment, thinking.

"Not really. I probably won't be able to leave anyways, so listening to their plans is useless for me." Vanitas replied, a hint of regret in his voice. His eyes didn't leave the stars for one moment.

Kairi nodded with a small hum, otherwise, saying nothing. She followed his gaze and watched the stars start to appear along the halo of the dying sun.

"It's weird how all these worlds are so far away, but sometimes it seems like you can just reach out and touch it." Vanitas said, slowly reaching out his arm longingly in front of him to a star in the sky. Suddenly a black fire erupted from his palm, giving way to a dark corridor.

Their eyes widened, Vanitas yelping in surprise. He tore his hand away quickly, holding it close to his chest like he was nursing a burn. The dark corridor immediately disappeared, no trace of it having ever existed.

Everyone turned to look at the commotion, a mix of shock and confusion in their features.

"What happened?" Riku asked. The group walked over, Vanitas still stunned from the event. There was evident confusion, nobody having witnessed the appearance and disappearance of the corridor.

"Vanitas made a corridor of darkness appear." Kairi spoke. The group turned to Vanitas.

"Well, did you?" Ventus asked, unblinking. Vanitas was still shaken.

"Y-yeah." Vanitas answered, quickly regaining some of his composure.

"Cool!" Ventus expressed excitedly, throwing Vanitas off. Ventus' energy sometimes left him phased in the face of it. "Hey, could you show me how you did it?"

"I don't really know _how_ I did it." Vanitas admitted, clenching and unclenching his palm. The two boys looked at Mickey.

"Am I a nobody or something?" Vanitas asked the mouse. He remembered the organization was capable of doing it. Oh yeah, _and_ Riku, but _still._

"Can I do it too?!" Ventus added on.

Mickey seemed at a loss for words, everyone's eyes peering down on him.

"Ah no, you're not a nobody. And Ven, unless you want to wield darkness, I doubt you can." Mickey said. Ventus' face fell, Vanitas raising an eyebrow.

"We'll always be together, so you can just ask me to take you places, at least when I can get a grip over this ability." Vanitas proposed to cheer the blonde up. Ventus thought for a moment, recalling what he had seen in a flash of his memories.

"Lea's older than the four of us, right Mickey? Would he have met me before I lost my memories?" Ventus asked the mouse. He was trying to make sense of what he could see, and sure enough it was a very different, but definitively, Lea.

"Perhaps, I didn't know Lea very well until recently." Mickey admitted.

"Let's go ask him then!" Ventus suggested, nodding with his head in the direction of the tower, where Lea had taken refuge in Yen Sid's basement.

"Uhhh, Ventus." Riku piped up, putting his hand on Ventus' shoulder to stop him from walking. Ventus looked confused.

"Huh? I need to talk to Lea face to face." The genuine confusion on Ventus' face was not helping Riku speak confidently. It needed to be said.

"That's exactly the problem, though." Riku sighed.

"What?" Ventus was completely bewildered.

"You do understand you look exactly like Roxas, right?" Riku spoke carefully, pointing out what everyone was thinking. Everyone knew how close Axel and Roxas had been: it was something unsaid, and yet well understood. Lea seemed to finally be letting go of his past, and to dig it up at such a stage of recovery...

Ventus blinked, looking down at himself.

"Oh." Ventus said, before fully understanding. " _ **Oh.**_ "

"Yeah, ' _oh_ '." Vanitas scoffed, crossing his arms. " _Idiot."_

Ventus stood staring blankly at the ground, thinking.

"But this is the only way. I don't know if my memories will come back unless I'm like this. I think I can do it." Ventus pleaded, fist clenching. Nobody spoke a word, everyone still remembering with a somber silence the relationship between Roxas and the former nobody.

"I, uh, think it's possible for Ventus to meet Lea. We just have to be gentle, that's all." Kairi suggested with an unsure smile, tapping the tips of her fingers together nervously.

"Are you sure, Kai? This could end up going south really quickly." Vanitas asked, regarding her with skepticism.

"Vanitas, you do not get a say in our plans. You are still under suspicion, don't forget that." Mickey voiced, eyes narrowing at the ravenet. Vanitas' stared blankly at him for a moment, before gritting his teeth together in anger.

"Oh yeah, okay, Roxas is only _**my**_ nobody. I only have to live every single day of my life knowing that because of _me_ he'll never see Axel **again** ; that no matter _what_ I do he'll **never** be his own person!" Vanitas snapped. He crossed his arms and started to hug his sides, anger causing him to tremble. There was a mist that started to materialize on parts of his body, pulsing and dying to an unknown beat. Something wanted _out_ , Vanitas could feel it.

"Vanitas, are you alright?" Kairi asked hesitantly. She placed a hand on his shoulder, causing the boy to relax and his darkness to settle. She could feel it shifting under her palm.

Vanitas' face fell, looking at his hand. He put it to his face, guilt sneaking into his expression.

"I think so, I just… I'm sorry, your Majesty." Vanitas apologized. "I just want to help get Ventus' memories back like the rest of you, but Roxas is my Nobody as well as my friend. I'm hurt that you would assume I'd feel indifferent towards him."

Mickey considered his words carefully, seemingly remorseful for what he had said.

"Gosh, okay, Vanitas. I didn't know you felt that way. I have my own reasons for distrusting you, please be patient with me." Mickey answered. Vanitas nodded, Kairi taking her hand off of his shoulder.

Not being able to handle the somber mood any longer, Ventus clapped his hands together.

"Well, What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ventus exclaimed, finger pointed at the tower.

"Good idea," Riku agreed, trying to further transition from this tense atmosphere.

"Don't forget your helmet." Ventus teased Vanitas.

"Yeah, yeah, _mom_ , whatever." Vanitas grumbled, the black helmet appearing on his face. Kairi was glad to see everything back to normal, giving a small sigh of relief.

After walking to the tower, Kairi knocked on the trap door to the basement where Lea was staying.

"Hey Lea can you come up for a second?" Kairi called out.

"It's my day off, let me sleep!" Lea groaned back from beneath the floor. He wasn't budging, and Kairi knew it was useless to push any further.

"Axel." Ventus spoke. The word was wrong, though something deep inside of him made the name instinctively come forth. Immediately, came the crash and clangings of a scattered man, rushing up the steps with a fury. The trap door swung open with a bang, startling the group. Lea's head sprung up like a lightning bolt, coming face to face with Ventus, who was kneeling on the ground.

"Roxas." Lea whispered, eyes slowly widening. His red hair was disheveled and he hardly looked put together.

"Uh, Lea, I know I used the wrong name it just slipped…" Ventus said slowly.

Axel's face fell.

"Let me guess, you're not actually him." Axel proposed.

"I know I look like him. But I'm not." Ventus paced his words, thinking carefully.

"Who are you then? Did Sora die again and nobody cared to tell me?" Axel said, his impatience bordering into irritation with every passing second.

"My name is S-, wait, it's Ventus. But my friends… huh." Ventus said, fumbling with his words before pausing, "That introduction somehow feels like it's missing something, sorry."

"You could at least answer more questions, Ven." Vanitas said, standing with his arms crossed behind Ventus and Kairi.

"What?! Who-?!" Lea exclaimed, jumping before looking up at the helmeted offender. Lea's eyes narrowed with dislike. "You."

"Me?" Vanitas answered, confused.

"Yes, you. You're the jerk who didn't want to fight me because, and quote, 'I don't have any time to waste playing childish games', before running off." Lea spat, summoning his keyblade and stabbing it into the ground beside the trap door. "You and me, right now."

"Is anybody going-" Vanitas started, not impressed.

"Hold on, Lea. Both of them have no memories." Riku said, stepping in and putting an arm in front of Vanitas.

Lea readjusted his grip on the keyblade.

"Are you sure he's not Roxas then? Seriously, where is Sora?!" Lea said, exasperated. The group was at a loss for words, seeing as no one really had a grip on the situation either.

"Ventus and Vanitas are old keyblade wielders who recently appeared." Mickey tried to explain.

Vanitas rolled his eyes, sighing. He batted Riku's arms aside and quickly walked over.

"This is taking too long." Vanitas stated. Without warning, he leaned over and placed his hand on Ventus' head.

There was a short shimmer of light, the two figures melding into one. When it faded, it left a dizzy Sora and a completely confused Lea. Sora cursed in his head, knowing that Vanitas knew Ventus was really easy to latch onto. Every time it happened, Ventus just couldn't resist, and here Sora would return.

From the shock, Lea's keyblade was broken, the man's empty hand still left in the air.

"Just what is going on?" Lea exclaimed.

* * *

Each person took turns trying to give an explanation.

"...so, Yen Sid casted a spell on me, and then I split apart. I can only come back if we touch." Sora explained. "Ventus and Vanitas are me in a different way than Roxas is."

"And you don't have any idea why it's like this?" Lea asked. At this point, he was fully clothed and alert.

Sora flowed again seamlessly into Ventus and Vanitas sitting next to each other, this time Vanitas' helmet was off.

"No clue." Vanitas said calmly.

"How are you two so nonchalant about that?!" Lea expressed, again exasperated.

"I just go from existing here to existing somewhere else. It's not _that_ confusing." Vanitas said with a shrug.

"Me and Vanitas are pretty close." Ventus tuned in.

"Huh?" Mickey exclaimed, cutting in suddenly.

"I'm just saying, we're team Sora, and as long as Vanitas doesn't remember, he's fine, right? We've got a truce, currently." Ventus asked, throwing the occasional glance over at Vanitas.

"A really reluctant truce, but you know, whatever floats your boat." Vanitas explained further.

"Uh-huh." Mickey said nervously.

"Anyways, I was hoping if I could get you to help me remember my past. Maybe we met before I-... Huh." Ventus' eyes widened, voice stopping.

"Mickey, why _did_ I lose my memories?" Ventus asked. Mickey went silent, both young boys staring at him, one set of iris gorgeously blue and the other meticulously golden. He could feel the eyes of Riku, Kairi, and Lea also boring into him.

"I-I don't know, Ven. But Lea is here to help you get on yer' way to finding those memories. How about it, Lea?" Mickey asked, ungracefully diverting attention away from himself.

"I don't understand. What do you want me to do, exactly?" Lea asked, shrugging honestly.

"We were hoping that meeting people from Ventus' past would help him figure out his memories. Do you know anything that might help us? It would've been about 10 years ago, maybe 1 or 2 more." Kairi spoke. Lea's face fell, eyes on the ground.

"I… those memories aren't ones I like to think about, got it memorized? It wasn't a very pleasant time for me." Lea admitted, eyebrows scrunched together.

"Oh come on, nothing? Please?" Ventus begged.

"I'm sorry. This is where I draw the line. I want to look forward, not back." Lea said firmly. That face, it was so hard to say no to.

After Lea took his leave back down into the basement, the atmosphere was somber.

"Gah! Now we're back at square one!" Ventus complained.

"What a waste of time." Vanitas grumbled.

"Hey, how about we stick to our original plan and go to Hollow Bastion, that might work." Kairi pointed out.

"That's a great idea, Kairi." Ventus beamed, jumping to his feet. Vanitas followed suit, though with less enthusiasm.

"I call shotgun!" Riku exclaimed. Kairi turned to her friend, shocked.

"But you had it last time!" Kairi argued.

"Guess we'll have to see who gets there first." Riku answered, smiling as he took off with a head start.

"Hey, no fair! Riku!" Kairi called after him, following in pursuit.

Ventus and Vanitas turned to go after them, but Mickey stopped Vanitas in his tracks.

"Your Majesty?" Vanitas asked, confused.

"I'm afraid you will have to stay under the watch of Master Yen Sid." Mickey told the black haired boy. Vanitas narrowed his eyes, but otherwise, said nothing.

"Why? You said he could leave as long as a Master was with him." Ventus asked.

"We don't know what seeing the other worlds will do to affect your memories, much less Vanitas'. With Master Xehanort and his plans with darkness we can't take any more risks!" Mickey said, fists tightening with frustration. Ventus raised an eyebrow, crouching down to level with the smaller Master.

After a moment of silence, Mickey spoke softly, tired.

"Look, we can see about taking Vanitas next time, but not now." Mickey said.

"Hey, it's alright, Mickey. You can't control what's ahead." Ventus said gently in an attempt to comfort the mouse.

"I've lost two of my good friends to darkness, as well as many more because of Master Xehanort. I thought I had lost you too, especially since we…" Mickey cut himself off, closing his eyes for a moment. He sighed, relaxing his shoulders. "I'm sorry if I ever treat you two like ghosts: it's been a long time since I've properly seen your face."

Ventus and Vanitas were silent, feeling the weight of Mickey's words stay with them. Ventus slowly stood up, still lost in thought.

"Ventus." Vanitas spoke quietly. The blonde looked up at Vanitas. "It's fine, just go with them." Vanitas was trying not to meet Ventus' eyes. His fists tightened, attempting to not betray his still simmering disappointment. He didn't want to argue and ruin the already fragile agreement in place: having been given him a drop of freedom, and the tiny bit of trust with these friends who looked at him like an enemy.

Ventus nodded quietly, him and Mickey taking their leave. As they walked away, Ventus stole one last glance of sympathy towards Vanitas, who could only just stand there silently and take it. It was a feeling so old and true in his heart, the very thought of it pained him for reasons unknown.

"I'm surprised you didn't even react." Came a voice from behind Vanitas after the two left. He turned his head to see Lea popping his head out of the trap door.

"Nothing I can do, really." Vanitas sighed, eyes narrowing.

"I get it, you know. The whole former enemy thing. At first, everyone is suspicious because you kidnapped someone, then, the next moment you're sparring side by side." Lea joked. His humor did not have the desired effect on Vanitas, his frown barely budging.

"Your point?" Vanitas asked, crossing his arms.

"Well, I don't necessarily hate you. Ventus doesn't seem to, either. Give it time. You can't rush it – take this from someone who used to be in your shoes." Lea advised, giving him a smile of confidence. Vanitas let the words sink in, thinking them over quietly.

"Thanks." Vanitas returned a small smile. The moment didn't last, however, as Vanitas remembered he wasn't allowed to be out of a Master's sight.

"Anyways, I have to go see Master Yen Sid before-" Vanitas cut himself off by lurching forward and gagging. He held one arm over his stomach and the other over his mouth, bile in the back of his throat. Everything felt suffocating, like the air in his lungs were continually being forced out of him. His vision was growing black, blood pounding in his ears. Something was _wrong_ , the very fibre of his being screaming out in pain due to its loss.

"I can't... breathe..." Vanitas wheezed, falling to the floor. Lea quickly started to get out of his door, stopping when he suddenly saw Vanitas disappear in a flash of light.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

"Riku, I swear, it was just like it was back in the Organization's headquarters. I could see right through your darkness to you hiding underneath." Kairi explained. She had made it to the gummi ship first and was sitting in her seat snugly. She was slouched back and had her arms crossed, face filled with determination.

"How could I forget, outting me to Sora after I'd been running for over a year." Riku answered. "I believe you, when you said you could see Sora underneath Vanitas' darkness, but I don't know what that could entail."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kairi asked, perking up and turning towards him.

"Well, I was only in that state because I had given into the darkness. If you saw Sora like that, it could mean he's in trouble. Perhaps, he's unable to handle his darkness after all that took place during the exam." Riku elaborated, eyebrows pressed together. Kairi slouched down. She hadn't considered _that_.

"But what about the way Ventus and Vanitas easily bring him back? Once you were back, _you were back_. You couldn't switch effortlessly between the two." Kairi pointed out. Riku thought about it.

"I don't want to consider it, but maybe Mickey's hiding something from us. It can't be that simple." Riku said, leaning back and crossing his arms.

"Riku, you know he couldn't, he wouldn't! For one, he's a horrible liar, and secondly, what would he have to hide?" Kairi exclaimed, worried.

"Nothing, apparently, just a blonde keyblade wielder named Ventus." Riku said, more determined than ever.

"Are you guys talking about me behind my back?" Ventus interrupted, standing behind the two chairs. Both Riku and Kairi jumped, whirling around.

"Don't do that! You scared me!" Kairi exclaimed.

"C'mon gang let's all settle down now." Mickey entered the room and quickly sat down in the driver's seat.

Ventus leaned up against the wall of the door, prefering to stand for the time being. He remained pretty quiet as they traveled off of the world. This was the first time he'd been so far from Vanitas, and he didn't like it. He somehow missed that dark aura constantly hanging by his side.

"So, Mickey," He said, grabbing the Mouse's attention.

"Yes, Ventus?" Mickey answered, not looking away from the space in front of him. Riku and Kairi also took an interest in their conversation, turning to look back at the blonde.

"Before I disappeared, how did I travel to different worlds?" Ventus asked.

"While my method was different and more random than yours, you used your keyblade armour to protect yourself from the darkness." Mickey explained. "It's the heavy plate of metal on your shoulder."

"Oh, so that's what this is!" Ventus realized. He reached up and lightly clicked the button on his arm, his armor appearing and shocking him.

"Whoa… cool!" Ventus exclaimed, excited. He looked himself over, inspecting the sides and different parts.

Riku squinted at him, confused.

"Hang on one second." Riku said, excusing himself from his chair and walking over to inspect the armor.

"Hm?" Ventus wondered, eyes suddenly droopy. He had to restrain himself from yawning.

"Yeah… I've seen this before, but I could be mistaking it." Riku continued, crossing his arms.

"What do you mean, Riku?" Kairi asked. She'd never seen anything like it before. Then again, same could be said for a lot of things now in her normal, everyday life.

"No– it's on the tip of my tongue, I just know it!" Riku squinted at Ventus, looking him over.

Ventus yawned and pressed the side of his arm to retract the armor, coming face to face with his silver haired friend.

"That's weird… I've… never seen…" Ventus said, slurring his words. He stumbled, Riku managing to catch him as he fell over. His wayfinder fell out off his pocket, clattering to the floor.

"Ventus! Are you alright?!" Riku exclaimed. Kairi hopped out of her chair, racing towards the blonde.

"Tired… so tie… erdd." Ventus mumbled, quickly falling asleep in Riku's arms. The silver haired boy shook him as he set the other boy down, panicking. Ventus seemed unphased, lying still on the floor.

Mysteriously, the wayfinder began to glow.

 **D-LINK: Activated**

 **D-LINK: Vanitas**

Suddenly, there was a burst of light and Vanitas appeared beside the wayfinder, on his knees gasping for air.

"Finally." Vanitas choked, once again being able to breathe. No longer were his ears filled with the sound of a frantic heartbeat. As oxygen once again filled his lungs, he looked up at the equally confused people surrounding him.

"Vanitas?!" Riku and Kairi exclaimed. Mickey almost jumped, quickly putting the ship in autopilot and coming over.

"What's going on?!" Mickey asked. Vanitas recovered and blatantly ignored the King's question, all of his attention focused on the blonde sleeping beside him.

"... Ventus, wake up, ya' sleepyhead." Vanitas quietly spoke, gently rubbing Ventus' shoulder.

"Hm... Vanitas? What're you doin' 'ere?" Ventus said with a yawn, rubbing his eyes. Vanitas smiled subtly after seeing that he was alright, sighing.

"If you wanted me here so gladly, you could've just asked." Vanitas half-heartedly complained to the sleepy boy, cracking his jaw and sitting up. Ventus just smiled in reply.

"Seriously, what's going on?" Kairi asked.

"Ventus… he pulled me here somehow. I could feel him reaching out if that made sense. I dunno, it said it was a D-Link?" Vanitas explained, before picking up the wayfinder. "This thing."

"Yeah! That thing! What's so important about that charm?" Ventus called out, sitting upright. All of his sleepy attitude was gone.

Vanitas hopped up on his two feet in one perfect jump, startling both Kairi and Riku. He tossed the charm to Mickey, who made a dive for it. He tried to handle it with the care Vanitas failed to give it. The mouse looked over it fondly.

"It's called a Wayfinder, made by our friend Aqua. It is supposed to serve as something that it links you and your other friends together." Mickey explained, a small smile gracing his features in nostalgia. He looked at the charm with sentiment, before handing it back to Ventus.

" _Aqua."_ There was that fuzzy image again. A fuzzy image that hurt inside.

"Is it only with this 'Aqua' that it connects with?" Ventus inquired, scratching his head. Vanitas squinted at the blonde, wondering if he, himself legitimately got all the brains, or Ventus was just too dumb to think things through. Vanitas came to the conclusion it was both.

"Oh gosh, um, I think you were able to connect with any of yer' friends if you were in trouble, Ven." Mickey said. He hadn't known such a connection was made between Ventus and Vanitas, or to what extent. Ventus and Vanitas, being friends? Was it due to the aforementioned 'truce' they supposedly had?

"Question is, why would Ventus be in trouble?" Riku wondered aloud, offering his hand for Ventus to stand up. Ventus took it, being pulled to his feet.

"He wasn't the only one in trouble. I couldn't breathe." Vanitas said, wincing in memory.

"Perhaps it's because we separated the two?" Kairi suggested, taking this moment to finally speak up.

"Huh?" Ventus and Vanitas expressed together, confused.

"No, I see where you're going. Maybe if the two, after being with Sora for so long, will start getting side effects if too far apart. It would explain why they're fully recovered now, and why the Wayfinder summoned Vanitas here." Riku explored the idea further.

"Wait, does that mean I get to come with you guys on your little quests for Ventus' memories?" Vanitas said, perking up. Finally, something to do!

Mickey narrowed his eyes.

"I'm afraid that might have to be the case." Mickey solemnly confirmed.

"Should we go back to Yen Sid's or…" Riku asked, trailing off. Mickey closed his eyes recalculating. This was going to be more difficult than expected.

"Gee, I think we should-" Suddenly, he was cut off by a loud exclamation from the main port.

"HEY! What's going on in there?!" Chip yelled into the monitor. The whole crowd jumped, not expecting the two to interrupt.

"Chip and Dale?" Ventus asked.

"Oh, who's dat blondie there? Why's Sora all different lookin'?" Dale asked, squinting into the screen.

"Haha, 1 point to Sora!" Vanitas snickered. Ventus turned on him, frustrated.

"Hey, I thought you said it wasn't a contest?!" Ventus pointed out. They had both agreed to put the topic on "who was the better Sora" to a rest for the time being. This was an obvious contradiction to said truce!

"Not anymore, because I'm currently winning!" Vanitas smirked.

"If you had that helmet on, your face never would've been seen!" Ventus exclaimed, crossing his arms. After the words left his mouth, the power went out, the whole room going black.

"I meant his face specifically, c'mon!" Ventus cried out.

The monitor turned a red hue, the screen booting up with the words "EMERGENCY BACKUP POWER ACTIVATED" displayed. Once the loading bar was filled, the image of a frustrated Chip and Dale reappeared.

"This is what I was trying to say! This ship runs on happy faces, and I don't see anyone smiling!" Chip vented.

"You can't see much of anything, really." Vanitas mumbled.

"What he's trying to say, is that the doctor orders a heaping helping of happiness and smiling if we want to get this, uh, running!" Dale added. The transmission faded out, leaving the group in darkness.

* * *

Later, the group was all settled into seats, ship fully functioning again. Vanitas was the exception, standing next to Ventus, leaning onto the side of the blonde's chair.

"Oh my gosh, this is the worst rule ever!" Vanitas complained, face smiling painfully.

"Whose idea was it to have a ship run on smiles?" Kairi asked, equally tired and face estranged as everyone else's.

"I thought that it would be the best thing to keep morale up and this way, you never have to stop for fuel." Mickey explained, the regret bleeding onto his smile.

"But at what cost, Mickey?" Ventus said, pained smiley face growing closer to the king. " _At what cost?"_

He turned away from the mouse and slouched back in his chair with a sigh.

"You two fighting started this whole mess." Riku added.

"The ship probably would've lost power anyway, seeing as how whenever I enter a room it seems to negatively shift the mood." Vanitas grumbled through his smile. He wanted to make amends with Mickey, though he didn't know where to start.

"I wasn't mad that you were here, Vanitas. I think we were all just confused." Kairi said, somehow managing to smile genuinely after having to force it for the past half hour.

Vanitas remained silent, looking up at her and then eyes darting away. He wasn't smiling anymore.

"Wait! I think I see Hollow Bastion!" Ventus exclaimed, standing up with a spark of glee. Everyone turned their attention to the world ahead, more than happy to stop their smiling charade.

* * *

When Ventus exited the ship, he stretched his arms. It was great to move again: sitting around with that fake smile on his face was not the best time.

Vanitas trailed after him, the rest of the crew arriving as well.

"It's good to be back here. I wonder when I'll get my memories of this place fully back." Ventus wondered out loud.

"You've been here for barely one minute idi-." Vanitas stopped himself, grinding his teeth. It took a lot of restraint before he begrudgingly continued, " _Ventus_. You can't expect the memories to come back immediately."

"It's not gonna be _that_ easy." Riku remarked, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Guess so." Ventus agreed.

Vanitas was about to walk away with the others, when a small hand stopped him. He turned to see his strawberry headed friend, her eyes bashfully avoiding his own.

"Uh, Vanitas, I never got to say it earlier, but thanks." Kairi said. Vanitas raised an eyebrow.

"What for?" Vanitas replied.

"For saving me earlier. I mean, I probably would've dodged anyways if you hadn't stepped in, but still." Kairi's cheeks were a light red, punching Vanitas in the shoulder with not much effort. At her words, Vanitas gave one of his rare smiles that seemed genuine. Like all of his expressions, it was off and somehow twisted - just another reminder that he wasn't quite Sora - and yet, Kairi saw the happiness in his eyes, those golden, golden eyes.

"No problem, Kai." He replied with a light laugh. Kairi felt her face get more hot, though Vanitas didn't seem to notice.

"Vanitas, please put your helmet on." Mickey commanded, noticing the exchange. Vanitas rolled his eyes, but started forming the helmet nonetheless, vision becoming tainted by black.

Heartless began to spring out of the ground, shadows twitching and crawling. Luckily, all of them had experience.

Immediately, everyone summoned their keyblades to face the threat: everyone except Vanitas, who froze up. His arm was shaking, torn between his initial reaction and not wanting to trigger a memory. He grit his teeth together and tightened his hands into fists, taking on a stance of hand to hand combat. Readying his magic, he joined in taking on the numerous heartless.

Ventus was having trouble with this new keyblade of his. The way it was wielded was entirely different than his own. At the same time, the difficulty was only the cost of regaining back his old life, something _Mickey_ sincerely wanted.

Ventus, though, what did _he_ want?

Meanwhile, Vanitas was using his legs to swiftly kick heartless into oblivion, the force and combined speed of the limbs enough to banish many heartless alongside Riku and Kairi. He looked over at the blonde, who was pausing in battle, not noticing the strike from behind.

Acting fast, Vanitas seemingly teleported over, summoning a keyblade and blocking the attack.

"Whoa!" Vanitas exclaimed, startled by his sudden instinct to act. He'd done it without thinking, the thought of Ventus in danger so overwhelming, that nothing else had mattered in that instant. And his keyblade...

"Vanitas? How did you-" Ventus was met with silence, following the attention of Vanitas' eyes to the keyblade Vanitas held in his hands. All of the heartless were defeated, making it okay for everyone to drop their guard.

The keyblade in design, was what Mickey would tell them later was of "Void Gear", however it was now noticeably silver and gold, blue eye missing from the blade.

"Crownkeeper." Vanitas breathed.

"Huh?" Ventus asked, snapping out of his trance.

"It's called Crownkeeper." Vanitas reiterated. The gang gathered around to clue into what was going on.

"But, forget the weird keyblade, I just teleported!" Vanitas exclaimed, keyblade disappearing as he looked towards Mickey for answers. Immediately, he felt guilty. "Look, I didn't mean to summon my keyblade, it just happened out of habit. I saw Ventus in trouble and..." Vanitas tried to defend himself.

"Hold up, teleport? Is that a thing everyone can do or…" Kairi interjected, genuinely curious about the possibility she, too, could teleport. Forget battles, she could travel to the grocery store in no time flat!

"No, it's due to the nature of Vanitas' existence that he can do certain things that we can't." Mickey explained, being purposefully vague. "From what I've seen, he can only teleport short distances."

Vanitas remained silent, looking down at his palm. He could feel the darkness teeming under his skin, a potent and boundless force, waiting eagerly for him to call it forth. This experience was different than in the mark of mastery exam: then, he had been drowning in the thick sludge. Now, he was practically _swimming_ in the stuff. The foreign feeling made him alienated from his own body, the skin and movements disjointed and unreal.

"Is everyone alright, we heard a commotion-?!" A girl with short black hair in stereotypical ninja-like attire barged onto the scene, a brown haired man following her.

"Leon and Yuffie!" Kairi exclaimed, smiling. The newcomers were surrounded by welcoming faces.

"Hey guys, what do we owe the pleasure?" Yuffie said. "Not often do we see the Majesty himself."

"Call me Mickey," The mouse said, smiling.

"Right!" Yuffie answered.

"We're here to help two uh," Riku quickly glanced at Vanitas, hesitating " _friends,_ get their memory back. They might've been to this place about 12 years ago."

"That's a long time for people who look so young." Yuffie eyed the two suspiciously.

"It's complicated." Ventus said, rubbing the back of his neck with a shrug.

"What's up with all the darkness from this one?" Leon asked, turning his focus to Vanitas, whom he narrowed his eyes down at. Vanitas avoided the harsh glare reluctantly, not wanting to get into another conflict.

"I didn't ask to be made this way. We're here for Ventus, not me." Vanitas huffed, annoyed. Made, huh? Such a strange word to describe being born. It made him sound like a doll rather than a human being.

"If you could help us in any way, that'd be great." Kairi proposed, stepping in to dispel the tension.

"Well, I've certainly not been here for that many years, but we both know someone who has…" Yuffie trailed off, smiling and rubbing her hands together.

* * *

"Merlin! Hellooooo, anyone home?" Yuffie called out, stepping into his room. Of course, the room was filled with books in cluttered piles and a table with a whole slew of different ink bottles, quills, and scrolls.

The old man was standing in front of his alchemy set, the whole party wincing at the loud BAM! and puff of pink smoke that followed.

"Oh gosh darn it! Blasted-" Merlin coughed, dusting off soot and pink ash from his clothes. Everyone tried to regain their breath, Merlin eagerly opening all the windows to air out the pink smoke.

"Merlin, are you alright?" Kairi asked, waving her hand in front of her face to dispel the clouds.

"What did I tell you, knock first, knock first! You young'uns, comin' in and intruding into my home!" Merlin waved his finger at her, an elder berating a girl well below him in years, yet somewhat the same in height.

"I'm sorry, Merlin, don't yell at Kairi, it was me who came in first." Yuffie interrupted. Merlin glanced at Yuffie, then back at Kairi, then at Yuffie. He squinted at the red haired girl, before taking his glasses off and rubbing off the pink soot on them with a conjured handkerchief.

"Ah yes! I see, I see. Young girl, don't you know it's your day off? Could you not give an old man his rest? My, I don't even have the kettle running, what a horrible host am I." Merlin told Kairi, sighing. He quickly turned around, waving his hands to clear the table of any mess, and almost tripped on the scrolls as they rolled off the wood and into shelves lining the wall.

"I'm afraid Kairi's not the reason we've come here, Master Merlin." Mickey spoke up. The scattered Wizard stopped, blinking.

"Hmm, why then have such a large group of people come barging into my house, if not to seek my unbridled wisdom?" Merlin announced, straightening his back and stroking his chin.

"Um, hello Merlin." Ventus brought himself to the front of the crowd. "Mickey said you might recognize me. I'm supposedly Ventus."

Merlin came up the blonde, eyeing him up and down.

"Why, have we met before?" Merlin asked.

"I don't know, have we?" Ventus shot right back, shrugging.

"Don't you know?"

"Know what? That we've met?"

"Surely we have met because we are meeting right now."

"No I mean before."

"Before what? Before meeting now, or when?"

"That's what I'm saying, before have we-"

"Okay, this needs to stop." Vanitas interjected, placing his arm between the wizard and the boy. Merlin's eyes widened, quickly jumping back in alarm.

"By my beard, Mickey _what_ have you brought to my dwelling?!" Merlin exclaimed, whipping out his magic wand at Vanitas, and holding his hat upon his head with worry. Riku and Kairi also reacted, ready to summon their own keyblades to defend these two.

"Huh?" Vanitas mused aloud, confused.

"Not only did I think I'd gotten rid of them all, one waltzes into my house, and speaks, nonetheless!" Merlin gasped. Gotten rid of what?

"Wait! We come peacefully. Please, put your wand down, and we can talk this out." Mickey said. "Master Yen Sid sent us here on a mission."

Merlin eyed him suspiciously, and after glancing over Vanitas one last time, put his wand away. He crossed his arms, chin up.

"What outlandish task has he sent you on now?" Merlin questioned.

"These two don't have any memories, and we're looking to get Ventus' back. Do you have anything you could tell us that could help get him on his way?" Mickey asked carefully. Merlin inspected the blonde carefully, stroking his chin.

"Ventus, Ventus, Ventus, now where have I heard that name…" Merlin hummed, thinking. He started looking through stacks of clutter, muttering to himself. "Now where did I put that… ah ha! Here it is!"

Merlin took out the brown spined book and slammed it down on the stand. Everyone crowded around, curious.

"Oh, the 100 acre wood!" Vanitas exclaimed. On the front cover still sat him and the silly ol' bear on a green hill, viewing the stars.

"But Merlin, what does this book have to do with Ventus?" Riku asked.

"I knew I've heard that name before, rather, seen it. Because you see, back a long time ago before all of your stupid gizmos and gadgets recorded everything, we did it with handy dandy ink and paper." Merlin explained. He opened up the book and turned it to the inside cover. There, was a slot attached to the cover, and a piece of lined paper inside. Written in different handwriting, was a few names in a list beside a recorded time:

 _Christopher Robin_

 _Merlin_

 _Terra_

 _Aqua_

 _Ventus_

 _Sora, Donald, Goofy_

"Funny, I don't remember signing it." Vanitas mumbled to himself, pointing out his signature printed below Ventus' own.

"It's magic, you see, so it records it automatically." Merlin explained, humming with amusement. He'd just managed to hear Vanitas' comment, and did not question its validity, too caught up in his own pride to full comprehend it.

"Terra, Aqua…" Ventus wondered out loud, trying to process these words. "Mickey, you said I knew Aqua right? Then why would we be reading this book at different times?"

"None of you three were supposed to leave your home world, really." Mickey explained. "You broke the rules chasing after each other."

"Breaking the rules, huh? Doesn't sound like something you would do, being such a goody two shoes." Riku teased.

"Shut up, Riku! The only reason I ever broke them was because you thought it would be fun, and then we would always get in trouble." Ventus shot back, even if there wasn't really any malice in his voice.

"It was sort of fair, we were idiotic to listen to him after all." Vanitas pointed out.

"Yeah, fine, you're right there." Ventus answered with a shrug of his shoulders. Yuffie raised an eyebrow.

"Funny, didn't you say you had amnesia?" Yuffie spoke, quickly growing skeptical. She and Leon did not yet know that they were both Sora.

"They've remembered some things." Riku quickly lied. He felt obligated, having teased Ventus in the first place.

"Sure." Leon scoffed, but not chose not to press further.

" _Have_ you remembered anything from seeing this?" Vanitas asked the blonde, putting a hand on his hip. Ventus stared at the piece of paper in his hand, squinting. Everyone was focused on him as he intently tried to remember.

"Think, think, think." Ventus mumbled to himself as he tapped his head with his knuckles. The room was silent.

" _Aaaaaannnnddd_... I've got nothing." Ventus admitted with a sigh.

"Oh, bother!" Vanitas groaned, shaking his head.

"That's okay, Ven. You can't force these types of things." Mickey reassured, trying to lighten the soured mood. Ventus nodded, albeit, still feeling disappointed. He kind of felt like he let everyone down. As they made their way to leave, Kairi paused.

"Thanks Merlin for seeing us on your day off." Kairi expressed gratitude for the group of them.

"Why, it was no problem for a wizard such as myself. I wish Ventus the best." Merlin answered.

"Hey, out of curiosity, what were you making before we stepped in?" Riku asked, stopping beside Kairi. The whole gang wanted to know as well.

"Quite a difficult one, a love potion." Merlin hummed, gathering up some loose papers on the floor. Everyone jumped.

" _ **A love potion?!"**_ They exclaimed. No one was expecting _that_ to be the answer, even if it explained the pink puffs of smoke.

"Yes, I don't think there need be such fuss about it." Merlin waved his hand, clearly not holding it in the same regard of importance as the others. Most of them were still gaping.

"Have… have you found someone that you liked?" Ventus asked, trying to hide any eagerness. When it came down to it, he was a small bit of a romantic.

"Ventus!" Mickey berated.

"What? We were all thinking it!" Ventus defended himself, crossing his arms.

"Nothing of the sort. A love potion is very difficult to make, so I was merely testing my skill. It's been quite a time since I've last made one. I'll just try again." Merlin sighed, heaving a bunch of ingredients onto the table.

"We'll leave you to it, thanks again, Merlin." Mickey said, holding the door open so everyone could leave. Once everyone was outside, they gathered together.

"So, what now?" Riku asked. "What could give us information on Ventus?"

Everyone collectively thought for a moment. Ventus and Vanitas both looked up excitedly, looking at each other.

"TRON!" They exclaimed.

* * *

"Huh..." Lea said, reaching down to pick up the box. The yard was empty, save for this package.

He opened it up, revealing the cake inside. He scooped some icing.

"It's not half bad."

* * *

 _AN: yes, electric boi! Who may or may not be accessed bc he was messed up in DDD, but still! – As you might've guessed there's a meaning behind the Keyblade's name and appearance. It's supposed to reference the emblem often associated with Sora aka his Crown. The name "Crownkeeper" comes from Vanitas wanting to protect his identity as Sora, while still blurring the lines with his past self in the way his keyblade looks like "Void Gear"._


	3. 1 plus 1 equals 1 Beep Boop

The Road so Far:  
 **After discovering that Sora is actually Ventus and Vanitas, Yen Sid, Kairi, Riku, snf Mickey decide to lock up Vanitas in Yen Sid's tower while everyone else goes home for the night. Ventus and Vanitas have a heart to heart and decide to both acknowledge that they are both equally good Soras. Ventus manages to somehow unlock an "unlockable" door by Kairi and the two fuse together again. They get berated by Yen Sid and discover they can effortlessly go from Sora to their old selves without any help. Ventus confronts Lea about memories from his past, but the red head regretfully doesn't feel comfortable sharing any of his memories. Mickey, Ventus, Riku, and Kairi try to leave to go to Hollow Bastion to get more clues, yet Ventus' wayfinder summons Vanitas to the Gummi Ship through their D-link after their distance has adverse effects on their body. The group then decides to visit Tron when visiting Merlin does not yield any fruitful results.**

* * *

CHAPTER 3: 1+1=1 Beep. Boop.

* * *

 **Summary: A few old friends come back into the picture from Ventus' life, yet Vanitas still remains unaffected by these encounters. They find a strange entity in Tron's world, but will this new variable help or harm these two adventurers?**

* * *

 _An: First off, this chapter was beta'd by the lovely ArunPharyn256 and would've been by the beloved miano53 if they replied. I still appreciate you reaching out to me! Next time! Secondly, this is the first chapter that really dips into speculation for Kingdom Hearts 3 with the introduction of a character featured in the E3 trailer. Who knows if this character will actually do what he does in this fic, but while researching this chapter, it's interesting to see how it could be set up for them to have this reveal. Unrelated, but I feel as though the first half of this chapter has more humour in it than the second half, hmm…._

* * *

Merlin tasked Yuffie to find the ingredients for the new love potion, seeing as it was her disruption that caused him to waste it on the first try. Leon joined her, thinking they'd get it done faster together. After they parted, the group decided to have lunch.

"Hey, are they gone?" Vanitas asked, bending over a bit to try and see if their figures had faded from view.

"Well, I think so. I don't hear their voices anymore." Kairi answered, nodding. Vanitas turned his head towards Ventus casually, being unable to just communicate what he wanted with his eyes due to his mask.

"Really?" Vanitas coughed afterwards in an obvious manner. Ventus' looked utterly bewildered for a moment, before giving a small nod to the other boy.

"Sooo, that means we're alone?" Ventus attempted to confirm, not so subtly glancing between her and Vanitas.

"I guess?" Kairi said, sporting a confused expression.

Vanitas' darkness flared up around his skin as if he was going to teleport, but Riku reached out and caught his arm, breaking Vanitas out of his focus. In that brief moment, Riku felt a wave of emotion run through him: _**fear, restraint, freedom, happiness… Ventus.**_ It was so quick – like all of the physical contact Riku had shared with Vanitas up until this point – yet his brief confusion did not cause his grip to falter. The silver haired keyblade wielder put said weapon to Vanitas' neck, holding him firmly.

"Where do you think you're going?" Riku spoke, raising an eyebrow. Vanitas' eyes flickered between him and Ventus.

"I was… I was just going to try and regain my real appearance with Ventus. Y'know, since nobody's 'round?" Vanitas was audibly confused.

"Is that true, Ven?" Mickey asked the blonde. Ventus appeared nervous, and nodded slowly, somewhat guilty.

"Yeah, I figured it would be fine, since it's not going against the rules you and Yen Sid placed." Ventus explained. There were a few of them at this point: he couldn't fight Vanitas in battle, and couldn't look like himself unless those who already knew were around. Vanitas had an added on rule that applied to wearing his mask in public.

The first one, Ventus didn't know how to feel about. Everything about Vanitas that he knew so far from his general dark appearance and words from Mickey regarding Master Xehanort told him that Vanitas was _bad news_. Period.

...Yet, the Vanitas he had met wasn't particularly hostile, nor had the raven harmed anyone that Ventus cared about. Ventus was a very black and white type of person: although he understood the water was sometimes murky, he generally greeted everyone with a smile unless they gave him reason to do otherwise. Sure, Vanitas sometimes said mean things, but for now, he saw no reason to be in Vanitas' opposition.

The second rule, however, definitely left a sour taste in both Soras' mouth. He trusted Mickey wholeheartedly, and thought he was a great King ( _...even if Ventus still had no idea what he exactly ruled over_ ). So for now, the rule would be followed with little resistance, no matter how easy it would be to just tell everybody who he was. He disliked being called 'Ventus', and truly wasn't used to it yet. A mysterious name that held an unknowable amount of weight to those from his past. Being Sora was much more simpler because he _was_ Sora.

"So you weren't going to attack Ventus?" Riku asked sternly.

"I wasn't." Vanitas answered, slowly shaking his head. Riku lowered his keyblade and sighed.

"Okay, I believe you. I'm sorry, reflexes are hard to shake." Riku responded. Vanitas rubbed his arm where Riku had been holding it. It hadn't hurt, though the pressure there was uncomfortable. Truly, he had become a different person to the ones he held dear.

Ventus grinned mischievously.

"Y'know, I didn't _specifically_ hear a no…" Ventus had slowly crept over to Vanitas.

"I didn't either." Vanitas suddenly perked up at the implication. Ventus raised his hand, holding it over Vanitas' empty shoulder.

"Ventus, wait-" Mickey started. He didn't act fast enough, however, Ventus putting his hand onto the raven haired boy and the two bursting into a smoke which blocked everyone's vision. As it dissipated, Sora was standing there, hands on his hips.

"Oh man, it is great to look like me again!" Sora exclaimed, stretching his arms high over his head. It had been getting weird, staying in those forms… it just didn't feel right to him! He missed that Beach tan, and the comfortable feeling of knowing all of the items in his inventory. (Well, _almost_ all of them.)

"Sora, you really shouldn't've…" Mickey trailed off, face palming.

"Too late, already did!" Sora answered, grin still wide on his face. He paused when seeing the worry continue to plague the King.

"Relax, Mickey, I made sure they were gone, and there's not a lot of people who travel by here anyways. Plus, there's a really interesting place I think we should eat lunch." Sora announced, walking past the mouse.

The place Sora led them was a spot that overlooked the grand crevasse where he had fought the 100 heartless, a land that would be barren if it weren't for the flowers the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee had planted. Aerith thought of the idea, thinking it would provide colour and life to a place so empty. After a few days of hard work and defeating the pesky heartless that attempted to uproot them, the flowers were sprouting quite nicely, but not nearly old enough to show any signs of budding. It was a hopeful view, the potential of such a magnificent sight made Sora's heart soar.

Perhaps once again this place can be called a garden.

Sora thought to himself.

"So they finally got this all planted, huh?" Riku mused aloud.

"Yep, I even got my hands dirty and helped out a bit, but I didn't do as nearly as much as the others." Kairi smiled, hands on her hips and full of pride.

"Why didn't Merlin just use his magic to make them all bloom?" Riku asked, crossing his arms. Kairi sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Him and Cid got in this big fight about it." Kairi exclaimed before mustering up her best impression of the two, " _I'll be damned before I let your witchcraft anywhere near these plants! - Oh don't be so stubborn, a little magic would have this done in a jiffy!_ "

All 3 males laughed.

"Really, Kai?" Sora asked through his chuckles.

"They argued for a good hour - you can see a little plot of land where Merlin started to use his magic over there. Didn't get too far." Kairi gestured over, and sure enough, some plants had grown a little faster than the others, none blooming yet.

"Those two always find something to fight about. Can't technology and magic coexist peacefully?" Riku pondered, going to sit down on the ledge. The others joined him, feet dangling on the cliff.

"Apparently not." Mickey answered with a sigh.

Sora stared off into the distance, his mind wandering about.

"Dandelions… there are no Dandelions here." Sora whispered.

"You _want_ to see them here? Are they your favourite flower?" Kairi asked, taking a glance at the brunet who seemed to be concentrating on something.

Sora nodded, looking from the field up at her.

"Wait, what? Really? That's a weed, not really a… flower." Kairi looked at him incredulously.

"Dandelions, y'know, I loved blowing their white seeds around and watching them scatter to the wind when I was younger." Sora remarked, kicking his legs back and forth "Reminds me, in the dream I had last night there was a cliff with a ton of them. There were also strange people who had animal heads and could talk. It was especially weird to see-" Oh no, Sora was not going to reveal to them that his secret prized stuffed animal had been able to fly and communicate too. It would be absolutely mortifying if he revealed _that_.

"See what, Sora?" Riku pressed, mischievous grin on his face. Sora's embarrassed blush deepened.

"Uh, um, just there was this animal headed girl who wore pink and was really kind. She reminded me of Kairi." Sora spoke shyly, stealing a glance up from his hunched over stage to see Kairi.

"Am I supposed to feel insulted by that, Sora?" Kairi's annoyed glare steeped into him, hands on her hips. Sora jumped, immediately regretting his words.

"No, no, no! She had the face of a fierce and clever Fox," Sora quickly tried to gather something to save himself "a really merciful Fox!"

"Hmph! You better hope she was!" Kairi was steaming, arms crossed and puffs of air coming out of her nostrils.

"Nice one, Sora." Riku teased, nudging Sora in the side arm. Sora huffed and glared at him.

"Shut up, Riku." Sora shot back. He took a moment to think, before looking at Kairi earnestly.

"H-hey, y'know, when we first met, I thought your head looked like a big bouquet of flowers washed ashore?" Sora admitted, almost bashful, seeing as his previous words had seemed to offend her.

"Oh really? And say, how would this mysterious bouquet have gotten to shore, then?" Kairi teased, taking a sip from her water bottle. Sora's eyes looked up as he thought.

"I dunno, a cruise wedding or something?" Sora shrugged, before smiling. "I'm glad it turned out to be you rather than a bunch of roses, Kai."

Kairi returned his with a shy one of her own, a light red in her cheeks.

"Thanks, I guess." Kairi mumbled, not knowing what to make of this weird compliment. Such a Sora thing to say, coming out of nowhere and leaving her speechless.

"Man, I am starving." Sora quickly diverted everyone's attention to their empty stomachs, and everyone quickly went looking for their meal.

They had lunches pre-packed which had been put into their inventory before they left the tower, courtesy of Yen Sid. Just as delicious as the meal he had that morning… well before he ate those horrid Fairy Berries.

"Yo, anyone want this sandwich?" Sora held it up, glancing at the two humans and mouse.

"Didn't Master Yen Sid pack that for Ventus?" Mickey asked, peering over from beside Riku.

"But, he also packed one for Vanitas. Any items from when I'm like that are merged in my inventory, so if I get a potion as Ventus, I'll get it. Things belonging to my inventory originally as Ventus don't stay, though." Sora explained. Riku and Kairi exchanged glances.

"Where does Ventus' wayfinder go, then?" Riku pointed out. Sora just shrugged.

"Iw dwon't knoww." Sora spoke through the last of his sandwich.

"You know what would really be tasty right now? One of your mom's cupcakes." Kairi squealed in delight, rubbing her tummy.

"Aw yeah! Those are the _best_." Sora added on.

"Hang on, do you know how to bake, Sora? Gee I coulda' never guessed." Mickey inquired, seeming to have some genuine surprise in his expression.

"Barely. Sometimes you can't tell whether or not they're even edible just by looking." Riku shirked.

"Like you would be any better." Sora shot back. Riku shrugged, smug look still on his face.

"Sora's mom is so good, they heal 1 HP of damage with no enchantment whatsoever." Kairi tried to convince Mickey.

"She sounds like a good mom," Mickey commented, smiling alongside his friends. Sora's bright demeanor began to fade, becoming downcast.

"Yeah… I wish I could see her again. I made a promise to myself after I came back to always say goodbye." Sora lamented. His mom had been always pretty lack about him going out with Riku and Kairi, him leaving the house without even asking on multiple occasions. When he arrived back, it was like he'd never left, though still, he didn't want to leave again without at least saying farewell.

Mickey felt guilty, seeing his friend in such a slump. But in the end, he said nothing. How could he, really?

"Hey, Mickey, did you want to try one of my cupcakes?" Sora shifted his mood quickly, looking past Riku at the Mouse.

"They're really great!" Kairi pronounced in a sing-song voice. Mickey looked unconvinced after Riku's words.

"Uh, really Sora, it's…" Mickey's guilt overcame him and he gave in "Yes, okay, I'll try one."

Riku put a hand on Mickey's shoulder, going deadpan.

"It's not too late to back out." Riku stated. Sora had reached into his inventory and pulled the cupcake out. It was sloppily made, having been crumpled and smushed, with something that looked like icing on top if you squinted. Overall, the most unappealing cupcake the king had laid eyes on.

Mickey gulped.

"Here you go, your Majesty!" Sora presented it to the King, and the King just nervously looked between Riku, the cupcake, then Sora's bright shining smile. That bright, bright smile.

Mickey's hand shakily reached out to touch the cupcake, slowly taking it from the eager brunet. He had sweat going down his face. It was now or never. With one gulp, he ate the whole thing.

And… and…

It was amazing!

He stopped being so nervous when the wonderful taste settled on his tongue, putting a hand to his face as he hummed. It was a whirlwind of flavour and sweetness, swirling around inside like a leaf gracefully falling from the branch of a tree.

"So, do you like it?!" Sora asked.

"It's incredible Sora. One of the best cupcakes I've ever had." Mickey said.

 _Minnie's knife slammed into the kitchen chopping board, eyes a glow with a fierce terror._

 _"Gah! Queen Minnie! You startled me!" Daisy scrambled to catch all of the dishes she was carrying._

 _"I'm sorry dear Daisy, it's just… I feel as though an extreme hearsey has been uttered somewhere in this universe. Someone has undermined my cooking!" Minnie stared suspiciously off into the distance, cutting her vegetables with more fury than before._

Mickey shivered for some unknown reason.

"And what exactly were you saying about them being inedible?" Sora poked Riku, narrowing his eyes.

"I said they _looked_ inedible, not that they _were_ inedible." Riku admitted with a shrug. Sora still gave him the stink eye, crossing his arms.

"They never did look the greatest. Though, whenever I did have them, they always made me feel better," Kairi spoke, smiling "perhaps you should listen to me more, Mickey."

Mickey noticed that he gained 10 HP from the cupcake and was still glowing over how good it tasted.

"Did you enchant this, Sora?" Mickey asked. Sora grinned, putting his arms crossed behind his head.

"It has my _secret_ ingredient." Sora smirked. Mickey looked up at him with confusion, but shook his head, knowing by that look he'd never get it out of him.

Mickey stood up, addressing Sora once more.

"Leon and Yuffie should be back soon, you should prepare, Sora." Mickey said.

"Why can't I just tell Leon, Yuffie and Merlin about my identity? They're my friends." Sora crossed his arms across his chest, huffing.

"We can't have Xehanort finding out about this, he could have spies anywhere. Who knows what he'll do?" Mickey said earnestly. Sora's expression softened, but his disappointment didn't waver as he avoided the mouse's eyes.

"It's okay Sora, we'll be here when you get back." Kairi said with a grin, reaching out to hold his hand within 2 of her own. Sora gave her a smile.

 ** _I never leave, Kai._**

Was his last thought as he begrudgingly diffused into Vanitas and Ventus. This time, Vanitas squeezes Ventus' hand, giving him a firm nod. The wordless exchange made the blonde feel relieved in some way: he wasn't alone in this trial.

Along the way, both groups coincided again; Yuffie and Leon rejoining the party. It was then going to the computer – entering into the study that contained the trap door – that the group made an unlikely discovery, or rather, had a strange meeting.

"Ven…" a weird voice said from above. Ventus looked up and was surprised when a small creature dropped down onto his face, clinging to his head.

"Aaahhh!" Ventus exclaimed, trying frantically to get whatever it was off of him.

Everyone was put on guard, Ventus managing to pull Experiment 626 away from his face. The small alien licked his cheek, causing Ventus to drop him.

"Hey!" Ventus refuted. The experiment laughed and crawled around Ventus' body, snatching the Wayfinder and rolling around with it on the ground. Ventus quickly dove after the creature, wrestling with it.

"That thing! I thought we got rid of it last time." Yuffie exclaimed, clearly frustrated.

"Well, apparently not," Leon said.

"Myw-ine, friendship circle!" Experiment 626 cackled, quickly maneuvering out of the way when Ventus went after him.

"Hey! Give it back, it's _my_ friendship cir-" Ventus cut himself off halfway, remembering his experiences in Deep Space. _(wow, just like that? If only the rest of his journey could be this easy, huh?)_ There were people missing from his head, but he had a general idea of his adventures there. Gantu, Experiment 626, that big Heartless: he remembered them.

"Ventus, are you alright?" Kairi asked, noting his expression.

"That's it! I remember chasing after someone in the ship where I met this little guy. He had made a wayfinder of his own, funny enough." Ventus laughed, reaching down and patting the alien on the head fondly.

"Vennnn." Experiment 626 said, licking Ventus' hand. The blonde yelped his hand away, and Experiment 626 cackled again. Ventus sighed, wiping his hand on his pants.

"Could I please have it back?" Ventus asked, reaching his un-gooey hand out. "It's important to my past."

Experiment 626 looked over the shiny object one last time and hesitantly gave the object back to Ventus.

"Thank you." Ventus said. Experiment 626 nodded, taking in the group of people surrounding him. He recognized Leon and Yuffie, managing to escape from their clutches once more, and had seen Kairi at odds with another red head from afar. His eyes narrowed when he saw Vanitas. Becoming hostile towards a presumed enemy, he ran over to Vanitas and attacked the boy.

"What're you doing?!" Vanitas gasped, startled by the sudden aggression. He tried to dodge the scrapes and injuries that were being caused by Experiment 626. He was on Vanitas' mask, trying to get the helmet off of the hapless boy.

"En eh meee!" The Alien hissed.

Struggling, Vanitas managed to put up a good fight, holding the jittery alien in his hands.

"What did I ever do to you? I thought we were-" Vanitas voice caught in his own throat. Experiment 626 was friends with _Sora_ , and apparently, Ventus; not Vanitas. It would be so easy to reveal his face and coerce the alien into remembering him, but he knew Mickey wanted his mask to remain on.

"Experiment 626, it's okay, he's my, he's," Ventus looked hesitant, and yet, still desperate "he's my friend. Please don't attack him."

Experiment 626 did not look convinced, pausing his attack to look between Ventus and Vanitas with his eyes squinted.

"Enemy." Experiment 626 growled in Ventus' direction, pointing his clawed finger at Vanitas. Vanitas was uncomfortable, trying to hold the alien as far away from his face as he could, silently pleading with Ventus to reason with it.

"Look, you know how important my Wayfinder is, right?" Ventus asked, pulling out his wayfinder and laying it out flat in his palm.

"Friendship circle! Me shay-ares with Ven!" Experiment 626 nodded.

"We're friends right, so we have a D-Link." Ventus went on. Magic caused the trinket to buzz in his hand, glowing with light magic. A small hologram of Experiment 626's logo appeared floating above the Wayfinder, showing a small rocket and the word [Stitch] underneath Experiment 626's orange printed name.

"Vanitas is also my friend, so I have a D-Link with him as well." Ventus continued. The Wayfinder glowed red for a moment, and the holographic image changed to Vanitas' logo, his chest's weird vein-like pattern and 2 white papou charms floating where Experiment 626's once were. The alien stared at the image for a few seconds, the glow reflected in his orb shaped eyes.

"Finnneeee." Experiment 626 sighed, mouth displaying all of his gums and canines as they grit together. He wiggled his way out of Vanitas' hands and dropped to the ground. Leon and Yuffie took this as their chance to try and capture the menace, Experiment 626 easily escaping their efforts and having them chase after him. Yuffie swang at him with a book she grabbed from the floor, knocking down the portrait of Ansem/not Ansem.

"Why you little-!" They could hear Yuffie call out in the distance as the Experiment cackled in return. Leon followed suit, leaving the group.

"Huh, we've gotten a few of Ventus' memories back. I wonder why Vanitas' aren't returning." Kairi noted.

"I don't know. I can't exactly _ask_ Vanitas, can I?" Vanitas stated, sighing. If he didn't know, he didn't know. This exchange with Experiment 626 truly put things into perspective. This body, this form, was his new reality, whether he liked it or not. Vanitas had a lot of baggage that Sora did not want to carry around, and yet, he had to. Just what exactly did Vanitas do?

"But hey, I got him to stop attacking you! I wonder just how many D-Links I have." Ventus exclaimed, trying to look on the brightside. He attempted to look through his selection, but could only switch between Experiment 626, Mickey, and Vanitas.

"Are we not friends yet, Ventus?" Riku teased, lightly jabbing him in the shoulder.

"Of course you are! I just don't know how this thing works, that's all!" Ventus replied, annoyed he couldn't see 'Riku' and 'Kairi' on his list.

"Aqua made that spell, but she did not tell me exactly which spell she used." Mickey commented.

"Aqua. Her name comes up a lot in my past, huh? Were we that close?" Ventus asked, dispelling the holographic image and putting the Wayfinder in his pocket. Mickey nodded slowly.

"Unfortunately, yes," Mickey spoke, bowing his head.

 _Unfortunately? What does that mean?_

Ventus thought to himself.

"Okay, okay, I'm glad Ventus got some of his memories back, and I almost got my face clawed off, but we came here to see Tron, remember?" Vanitas interjected. He dissolved his mask from his face, and headed towards the door of the computer lab.

"Why are you taking off your mask?" Kairi asked.

"I don't need to have it on now that those 3 are gone." Vanitas shrugged. Mickey looked like he was going to argue with him, and decided against it. Vanitas pressed his palm against the center of the wall, and the corridor revealed itself to them.

"Hey, um, Vanitas," Mickey spoke up again. The said ravenet in question kept walking, undeterred.

"Vanitas?" Ventus tried, noticing Mickey was in trouble. That time, however, Vanitas stopped, frozen in place.

It was a feeling, squeezing up inside his chest and making him noticeably tense. He slowly shook his head and his arms, trying to get the gears to turn inside again. Once the air could be drawn out of his lungs, he curved around to face the mouse.

"Uh, yeah, right, still not used to the name, what is it?" Vanitas blinked, eyes trying to regain focus.

"I was wondering if you two could stay apart for the time being. We really haven't seen how long you two can last out like this, and I would hate for Ventus to fall into a sleeping coma."

Both Vanitas and Ventus nodded, understanding his reasoning. Ventus lingered longer, stealing a glance at the previously shaken companion.

After walking down over to the computer room, they were met with another familiar face. There, sitting with a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, was one of Ansem's former apprentices, Ienzo.

"Who are you?" Vanitas questioned, completely puzzled. Weren't the Restoration Committee the only ones with access to this place?

"I'm supposed to be here, who are you?" Ienzo shot back, somehow maintaining his deadpan expression. He must have not have noticed Vanitas' resemblance to Sora, or if he did, didn't bother to mention it. Kairi and Riku piled into the room next.

"Hey Ienzo, are you still waiting for Even to wake up?" Kairi asked, smiling.

"Unfortunately. I have to check for him every so often, it's annoying." Ienzo sighed, reaching over to set down his book on his side table.

"Kairi, you're friendly with this guy?" Riku gaped, whispering to her.

"I mean, yeah." Kairi said. "Him and the other ex-members are not really affiliated with Xemnas anymore. You've seen how far Lea has gone to prove himself."

As Ienzo was taking another sip of his coffee, Ventus took this very moment to enter the room. Immediately, Ienzo spat out his drink, and jolted up from his seat.

"Roxas?!" Ienzo exclaimed, showing the most emotion Kairi had ever seen from him. He set his coffee down, and appeared disheveled.

"My name, I'm not-, I'm not Roxas, I just look like him…" Ventus groaned, hunching his shoulders. "I don't even know who you are… wait, let me check."

Ventus paused and put a finger to his temple, trying to access Roxas' memories.

"Zexion…?" Ventus squinted, unsure.

"Are you sure you're not Roxas if you have trouble remembering things? When I first met him he had complete amnesia." Ienzo reasoned, stroking his chin and again growing calm. He now viewed Ventus like a scientist would any specimen.

"Ienzo, this is Ventus, and this is Vanitas. I can indeed confirm he is not Roxas, but he doesn't have his memories either. Neither of them do." Mickey explained, gesturing to the keyblade wielders.

"Again, how can you be sure he's not Roxas, and indeed, this 'Ventus'?" Ienzo further observed the blonde, coming up to inspect him.

Vanitas groaned, putting his hand up in the air just an inch away from Ventus' arm.

"Mickey, can I just show him? He's probably not going to tell anyone, and this conversation is taking forever." Vanitas asked, growing impatient with having to explain this all a second time, Mickey's earlier "split apart" command be damned.

"Just hold it for a second, Vanitas," Mickey answered, thinking of a solution. Ventus had an idea.

"Did Roxas have this?" Ventus smirked, pressing the button on the side of his arm in order for his armor to appear. Ienzo's eyes widened momentarily, before his eyebrows pressed together.

"No, he didn't, but I've seen _that_ before." Ienzo spoke, shaking his finger twice before turning to search through the different drawers and containers in the control panel. He found a USB like object and put it into the computer.

"Or, at least, something similar." Ienzo continued. Everyone quickly gathered around, growing curious. Ventus dispelled his armor and peered over with the rest of everybody. The screen said a password was required.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked. He thought Ventus' armor was familiar too, yet, he couldn't quite place it.

"I was one of the originals in the Organization, so I was there when Xemnas built that room. Xigbar told me that he'd always talk to his 'friend' in there but none of us were allowed inside. I've been so bored over the past several days, I managed to stumble upon the passageway." Ienzo explained, typing in the passcode quickly.

"Wait, so you were apart of Organization 13?" Ventus clarified. Sometimes Roxas' memories weren't as correct when he recalled them.

"... You really aren't Roxas, then." Ienzo sighed, briefly looking up at the blonde as he pressed the enter key. There was a gentle shaking in the floor.

"So, what did you just open?" Vanitas asked, looming behind Ventus.

"The passageway to the Chamber of Repose is below the Heartless Manufactory." Ienzo explained. "That's where we'll find Xemnas' 'friend'."

"Why would we want to meet his 'friend'?! A friend of Xemnas is no friend of ours." Ventus declared, forming a fist. Ienzo got up from his chair, cutting through the small group around him.

"You were her friend, though, right Mickey?" Ienzo asked, looking down at the mouse. While Mickey was shocked, Ienzo maintained his bored expression. Ventus observed Mickey, the King almost appeared frightened.

Ienzo paitently waited at the door for them to follow. As Ventus took a step forward, Mickey put his arm out, stopping him.

"Ventus, all of you, please stay behind. See if you can find anything in the computer." Mickey said, walking towards Ienzo.

"Why can't we accompany you?" Riku asked.

"I need to confirm whatever is in that chamber is relevant to our quest. Please wait here." Mickey answered, shaking his head. "Someone needs to keep an eye on Vanitas."

Kairi and Riku exchanged glances, both wordlessly fighting each other. _You do it, no you do it, oh for the love of-_ Kairi was pouting really hard by now, pulling out all of her puppy dog eye power. Riku sighed and wordlessly summoned his keyblade to hold it in the direction of Vanitas, obviously annoyed. Vanitas shared a different kind of irritation, quietly gritting his teeth together.

"By the way, the password is, for whatever unfathomable reason: Sora, Donald, and Goofy, in that order." Ienzo said before slipping out of the room as well. The four of them were left in silence.

"I wonder what's down there that Mickey wouldn't like us to see." Riku pondered out loud. Kairi put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure he has his reasons. He looked very affected by what Ienzo said." Kairi tried to empathize with the King. Riku nodded, turning back towards the computer screen.

"I'm guessing Sora's been here before, then. Quite a _unique_ password." Riku said, trying to take his mind off of it. Ventus perked up.

"Of course! This is where Tron lives. It's inside the computer." Ventus said enthusiastically.

"But, isn't Tron gone now? He was re-coded as the Rinzler, right? I tried so hard to get him back to normal…" Vanitas spoke quietly, leaning against the side of the console. He inspected his hand and the red veins that ran through it. With his helmet on, he looked a lot like the Rinzler: a being of good repurposed for the worse, forced to follow the evil orders of an ill-intent Master. He didn't blame Experiment 626 for attacking him when he looked like _this._

 _Vanitas could hear something from a distant place, a world where there was an ocean: the gentle sound of waves upon the shore whispering in his ear. But perhaps, it truly was a voice being carried by the wind, for there was no water in this desert graveyard. Nonetheless, something was coming closer, a light extending itself out and grabbing hold._

 ** _It's time to wake up now —– All we have to do is open the door._**

 _The voice was unfamiliar and faint, ringing true in his ears. As he opened up his eyes, it was as if he was waking from a nightmare, his brain feeling as foggy and forgetful as when he rested. Truly, something special had just occurred. What it may be, he was uncertain._

 _He'd been saved? By whom?_

 _Who would offer him such kindness? Surely not that Master._

 _Something felt strange. He dispelled his mask and touched his mouth, finger tracing his lip. So he had a face, then. Quite a hilarious notion, wicked laughter tumbling out of his twisted smile._

"Vanitas? I asked you a question." Kairi said, jarring Vanitas from his thoughts. "Are you okay? You look out of it."

"Yeah, I'm just thinking that's all." Vanitas replied, looking up at her with uncertainty.

 _ **What had that vision been? A memory? Why would it be weird to have a face? What exactly was Vanitas?**_ The raven haired boy thought.

Vanitas mentally slapped himself. He couldn't ask questions and go looking for answers, it would only bring him farther than who he wanted to be. This shadow known as 'Vanitas' could not be allowed to grow bigger.

"So, have you guys discovered anything?" Vanitas asked, wishing to draw away his curiosity and refocus it into something that was much more substantial.

"I'm having a difficult time accessing the files. Looks like they need a different password," Kairi squinted at the screen. Riku had been forced to be at guard, but he didn't really seem to be taking the job seriously, only half-hazardly holding the sword in Vanitas' direction as he focused on the screen.

"Looks like we'll have to wait to ask Mickey if he knows it," Kairi spoke with a sigh, crossing her arms.

"That or we could just always ask Tron?" Ventus spoke excitedly, jumping on the chance to see his friend again.

"Might be easier, too. Tron can just change the password for us." Vanitas added. He wouldn't lie and say he wasn't a tiny bit happy to see Tron again. Perhaps the program would see him as who he was: Sora.

"Hm. I've never met the first Tron before. His copy had his data corrupted." Riku pondered, recalling his days within the Master Exam.

"Yeah, but-" Ventus put his hand on the console as he leaned against it, and was interrupted by a voice.

 _ **"User Identified. User name: SORA. User: FRIENDLY. Beginning transfer."** The computer spoke. The console began to glow._

"Wait, Wait-" it was too late for Ventus; him and Vanitas getting transported into the digital world.

* * *

"Oh gosh, that never gets easier, does it?" Ventus said, leaning against the wall of data. The two had been brought to the digital space constructed of data and software, home to the AI known as Tron.

"Seems not," Vanitas answered, inspecting his outfit. His suit was black and emitted a soft red glow instead of blue like Ventus' own suit.

"I wonder how we got pulled in. I didn't look like myself." Ventus wondered, also looking himself over. He was referring to not appearing as Sora.

"Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that _being_ Sora was enough." Vanitas proposed, both of them having made contact with the console when they were sucked in. "Funny that a computer can see what most real people are blind to,"

Ventus slowly got up from leaning against the wall. This place hadn't changed much from last time he came here. Everything looked fine enough.

"I thought that Tron would come to greet us." Ventus said, rubbing his chin.

"We're not in that prison cell though, that's progress." Vanitas began to wander, trying to find some obvious path to follow. He saw a small head peak out from behind a wall.

"Hey, over here!" The person waved, and from the sound of their voice, it appeared to be a boy only a couple years younger than Sora. Both Vanitas and Ventus exchanged glances.

"Us?" Ventus asked, pointing with his thumb at the two of them.

"Yeah, you again, come quickly!" The boy said, sounding urgent. Confused, Ventus and Vanitas jogged over, the lone program pulling them quickly behind the wall.

"What are we-" Vanitas was cut-off by the boy.

"Ssshhh! Bugs!" The boy whispered. This did not make anything more clear, and the two continued to stare at him.

Vanitas and Ventus peeked out from behind the wall and saw huge floating blocks float back, scanning the area for something. From just the colour scheme, it was enough to tell the boys that they were bad news.

Quickly, when the blocks would look in their direction, they ducked back behind cover. After it looked like they were gone, the boy sighed out of relief.

"Thank goodness, I thought you two were goners. _You_ need to be more careful this time." The boy said, specifically referencing Ventus.

"What were those things? Heartless of some kind?" Vanitas asked. Though, he didn't see any emblem on them.

"No, they were Bugs. They work for the Virus currently managing this computer." The boy said.

"The Virus? Where's Tron? Shouldn't he be handling this?" Ventus questioned, mostly out of curiosity, but also out of concern for his friend.

"I'm Tron," the boy spoke, confused.

"Haha, okay, that's nice, but no, seriously, where's Tron?" Vanitas gave a half-hearted laugh before adapting a serious tone.

"When the Virus came to this computer, it sought out to destroy everything in the computer. However, in order to do that, you need the passwords to access all the Data." The boy explained. "I know all the passwords, so of course it went after me first. It managed to wrangle a portion of Data out of me before I could get free. In order to salvage what I had left and make it harder to find me, I condensed my form into this younger one."

"Really?" Ventus tried to confirm, not really buying it.

"Yes, _'really'_." Tron answered. "I thought you knew all of this, I've told you before."

"Um, no. I haven't entered into the program for a year or so after defeating the MCU." Ventus said, shaking his head. "It's me, Sora."

Vanitas' eyes quickly darted from Tron to Ventus, appearing unimpressed. He was Sora, too.

"Sora? Why do you look different? Where's Donald and Goofy?" Tron asked.

"We're both Sora. I know it's long and complicated to explain it, but the end note is, that this guy here needs his memories back, and we think accessing the files and learning about him will do that." Vanitas explained, trying to keep it brief.

"Hmm… The computer said it was letting in a 'Friendly User', and because I don't see any other Users, I think that explanation is satisfactory." Tron concluded. Ventus and Vanitas almost looked surprised that he had accepted it so easily. "Do you have any names I can call you two? Using the name 'Sora' for the both of you would not bode well."

"My name is apparently Vanitas." the ravenet answered, then gestured to the blonde. "This is Ventus."

"Hey, I'm just curious, but you can look different, so why can't I?" Ventus asked.

"You humans are not made out of data, however programs are just that: programs. We can be re:coded ( _ba-dum-chiss_ ) for any purpose. I initially thought that other male had been a user as well, but now I'm not so sure." Tron tilted his head and considered the information.

"There was another user in here besides us? Who?" Vanitas asked, becoming curious. Someone else was messing with the data?

"I did not get his name. He comes here very rarely, but maybe he was the one who brought the virus here in the first place. He wore a black hooded coat." Tron described.

"The Organization!" Vanitas and Ventus both exclaimed, turning towards each other. Usually trouble followed those people around like a plague.

"That aside, we'll deal with him if we run into him. We need to access data related to the word 'Ventus', but I'm guessing we need to defeat this Virus first, huh?" Vanitas proposed. Tron nodded.

"I think that forming a team would be beneficial to both our causes. You two can help me defeat the Virus, and afterwards, I am more than willing to help a friend." Tron said with a smile, outstretching his hand. Looks like his emotion settings were functional.

"Of course!" Ventus expressed, jovially taking the hand. At that moment, there was a shine that came from Ventus' pocket.

 **D-LINK: ACQUIRED ➤**

 **D-LINK: TRON ➤**

"You got another one?" Vanitas said, reading the notification before it disappeared.

"Looks like it." Ventus pondered out loud, crossing his arms over his chest in thought.

"Is it something to be worried about?" Tron asked.

"Not really. It just lets me borrow my friend's aid through something called a 'dimension link'. I don't have it entirely figured out yet." Ventus shrugged. Vanitas sighed, putting his hands on his hips.

"We should focus on locating the Virus for now." Vanitas said, trying to get back on task.

"I know where it is, there's just the matter of getting the jump on it." Tron explained. "Do you still have the keyblade?"

Ventus nodded and in a burst of data, he summoned Kingdom key for a split second before it glitched into Wayward Wind. Vanitas summoned his as well, the keyblade giving off the same effect before settling into Crownkeeper.

"It looks different from last time." Tron pointed out.

"Yeah, Ventus has a different keyblade from mine own. It's called Wayward Wind, and Vanitas' called… Throne Stealer? Royal Protector?" Ventus pondered, hand on his chin. Vanitas rolled his eyes and put a hand on his hip.

"It's called Crownkeeper! I literally told you this a few hours ago, how much of an amnesiac are you?" Vanitas smirked, almost appearing sardonic.

"Hey, I've been learning a lot today! Lay off, alright?" Ventus reared his head, frustrated with Vanitas' demeaning attitude.

"Speaking of, I should probably record that for Ansem's files. He tends to keep track of new items especially when they're related to unnatural phenomena." Tron said, smiling earnestly "Say, do you know how Ansem is doing?"

Ventus and Vanitas both fell silent. They side glanced at each other.

"Tron, can I just, y'know, talk to Vanitas for a second?" Ventus asked the younger appearing Tron.

"Certainly." Tron answered. Ventus and Vanitas both walked off, just to have Tron following obediently behind them.

"Uh, I think he means alone. Just the two of us." Vanitas deadpanned, hand waving between him and Ventus.

"Of course," Tron complied, standing still as the two walked a far enough distance away so that the program wouldn't be able to hear them.

"Should we tell him?" Ventus asked in a hushed tone with a grimace on his face. "'Cause I really don't want to tell him."

"Well, he either goes the rest of his life in ignorant computer bliss or we tell him and risk shattering his tiny little digital heart." Vanitas whispered back. Ventus squinted at his companion.

"Then we don't tell him?" Ventus reiterated, crossing his arms.

"Sounds like the best option so far. Tron's a friend." Vanitas pointed out.

The two boys didn't get much more time to muse it over, however, because they saw a bunch of bugs coming towards them. They both readied their blades and swung them at the enemies, the weird blocks showing little resistance to the weapons.

Once they were all defeated, a piece of paper blitzed into existence in front of them, floating in the air.

Ventus reached out to grab it, inspecting the object. It had a crayon drawing upon the surface, depicting a blonde look-alike smiling, and two other familiar figures whose faces were scratched out with black.

"What is it?" Vanitas asked, coming and peaking over Ventus' shoulder.

"It's a drawing of me, I think, and two other people I don't recognize." Ventus answered, eyes never leaving the paper as he flipped it over. Blank on the other side, Ventus just went back to staring at the drawing.

A digitalized notice appeared within a blue square:

 **DO YOU WISH TO REMEMBER, USER?**

Ventus stared at the words on the screen, even more confused. Ventus knew that was what he had to do. He reached up to press the button, Vanitas stopping him with his words.

"It could be a trap, Ven." Vanitas warned.

"It would be unwise to proceed without caution. There is not much known about the Virus." Tron chimed in. Ventus looked from the two guys back to the blue screen.

"This is the only thing we've got, so might as well give it a go." Ventus said. Before anyone could interfere, Ventus pressed the button and a haze of data consumed his vision, blinding him. As the three disappeared, the drawing slowly fell to land on the floor, a new notice appearing.

 **YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE FIRST QUESTION.**

* * *

When Vanitas opened his eyes, he could see the landscape around him had changed. He hadn't left the computer, so the neon colour scheme was alive and well, but it looked like he was caught in a maze. He turned to inspect the wall behind him, summoning his blade and whacking it against the surface. It bounced off harshly, remaining unaffected. An error message popped up.

 **DESTRUCTION OF LANDSCAPE IS FORBIDDEN BY ANY UNIT.**

"Forbidden, by whom?" Vanitas wondered incredulously. Screw this strange entity: if Vanitas was going to take out his frustration on anything, _it would be this wall_.

Gripping his keyblade in both hands, Vanitas wound himself up like someone up to bat at a baseball game. With all the strength he could muster, he swung it at the wall of data.

Vanitas jumped as he was immediately penalized with a bolt of electricity running through his body, and that same notification appearing before him. Golden eyes stared with a simmering distaste at the wall.

 ** _You win this time._** Vanitas thought.

A blue notice appeared in the air behind him with a little _ding!_ , him turning to face it.

 **WELCOME USER SORA**

"How do you know my name?" Vanitas asked, genuinely surprised, yet still maintaining a good level of caution towards this strange entity.

The text changed.

 **DO YOU WISH TO REMEMBER?**

Vanitas slowly approached the notification, those same two options that had been presented to Ventus now given to him.

"Of course not. I want to keep my friends, whomever you are." Vanitas spoke, not even hesitating to select the NO answer. He wasn't getting anywhere with asking questions, so he decided not to look stupid by talking out loud to no one.

 **GO TO THE CENTER OF THE MAZE AND YOU WILL FIND WHAT YOU HAVE LOST.**

After reading it, the box disappeared and left the hallway empty once again

 _ **I just said I don't want to remember.**_ Vanitas sighed.

Perhaps, it was speaking about Ventus; the blonde keyblade wielder nowhere in sight. Tron was gone, too.

Vanitas was alone. He hated this feeling. Usually, he kept Ventus within his sight, and though Vanitas didn't want to admit it; being in Ventus' presence made him feel safer, knowing he could turn back into his original form at any moment. He wasn't shaken, yet, this was an unsettling meeting familiar experience comparable to being trapped behind that door. This time, Kairi's semi-invincible lock wasn't the object taunting him; rather the unseen path that would lead him towards the middle, to Ventus, to Tron.

Vanitas couldn't let this challenge get the better of him. He was Sora: friend of Riku and Kairi, savior of worlds and wielder of the keyblade! No weird Virus was going to stop him from finding Ventus and rescuing Tron from its clutches.

"Wait for me, Ven. I'm coming." Vanitas announced, racing off into the maze with renewed courage.

* * *

Ventus awoke to the same sight as Vanitas, surrounded by winding walls and no straightforward path.

"Huh? Tron? Vanitas?!" Ventus whirled his head around, scanning his eyes for any of his allies. No luck. Maybe they weren't far - though, he didn't think they'd leave him all alone. Tron was diligent, and might've left if he truly thought that it would be advantageous to their situation. Vanitas, he… Ventus didn't know what Vanitas would do. Vanitas was begrudgingly Sora, and Ventus himself would never leave an ally alone if he didn't think it was safe to. Vanitas was also supposed to be Xehanort's friend and that meant much darker things if Ventus dwelled on it.

Ventus shook his head and focused on finding them. They couldn't have gotten too far.

"Vanitas! Tron!" Ventus called out as he walked down the hallway. His voice filled the air and seemed strangely empty without its presence.

No response.

 _How far did they go?_ Ventus thought.

He called out again with more urgency, and again was met with nothing. He felt like he was back in Wonderland, the Queen of Heart's hedge maze twisted and confusing. Speaking of, was that blonde haired girl at the end of the hallway Alice? What was she doing here?

"Alice?" Ventus was unsure of the words he spoke. As he began to approach, the girl seemed to notice him and ran off. Much like the very girl he named, he chased after his current white-rabbit. She was a bit taller than remembered, but that long blonde hair was unmistakable.

"Alice! Hold up, where are you going?!" Ventus was calling out to her now as he dashed through the maze. He never seemed to gain on her, those blonde locks disappearing around another wall just as he turned a corner.

Finally, it seemed she reached a dead-end and stopped facing the obstacle.

"Alice, is it really you?" Ventus asked through trying to catch his breath. He had stopped running and was slowly approaching from behind.

"Who's Alice?" The girl asked back, turning to face him. Ventus paused. This indeed, wasn't Alice. She was older, She was… she was, um...

"Wow," Ventus let out a breath he didn't know was stuck inside "You're so beautiful."

"What?" She seemed even more confused by that sudden confession. After realizing he had just said that out loud - wow, embarrassing - Ventus blushed a mortifyingly poignant red across his cheeks. He furiously rubbed the back of his neck, words fumbling, stumbling around like a drunken dancer with two left feet.

"I'm, I'm sorry, uh, what... _is_ your name?" Ventus managed to get out, eyes scared to meet her own as he apologized.

"Hmm? Oh, my name... Why, it's…" The blonde girl seemed to be in a sudden state of urgency that wasn't there before. Ventus tilted his head, watching her.

"Oh, oh no, I can't... Good-bye." She said as she shook her head and started taking off straight towards him! Ventus reached his hands out, surprised by the sudden charge.

"Wait! _Stop-_ " Ventus couldn't finish as she came up to him and… passed right through him? Even if he couldn't feel her body, there was still a force that managed to push him physically back a bit. Memories rushed through him: a young princess sleeping in a tower, thorny woods and thickets, a heart reunited, three fairies helping him face against a greater wicked fae - all of it swirled inside his head. Again, like before with Experiment 626, there were some missing pieces and gaps to fill, and sure, the heartless looked more off the more he thought about it, but, it was there. _Tangible_.

"Aurora, huh? We've met before: then and that time in Hollow Bastion." Ventus thought out loud, still trying to process everything. After overlooking his hands he put them down at his side, thinking about where she and his other companions had run off to. His hand hit something hard in his pocket, a ting of glass drawing his attention.

He pulled out the Wayfinder, a soft glow gently trying to communicate something to him.

 ** _Of course! That's it! I can just summon them here!_ **Ventus concluded with excitement.

That D-link: it had brought Vanitas to him on the ship, and he knew it was still functional in this world because he had made that connection with Tron earlier. If at least two of them were together, it would make finding the third easier.

 _ **But, *who* do I chose?** _He thought, furrowing his brow in thought.

He had a sneaking suspicion that there was a limit to how many people he could summon, which meant that picking just one was his only option. Vanitas or Tron at his side could make things easier, and he had connections with both of them, so that didn't narrow down the options. When it came down to it, Tron probably knew the layout of the land and more about the digital world than the ravenet. Perhaps, they could find Vanitas faster that way.

He had his mind made up.

"Okay, now how do I do this?" Ventus pondered, inspecting the trinket. There was no obvious on or off button, so he placed the now digitized Wayfinder on his palm and the logos appeared above it in 8-bit form. He swiped in his very short list - now he had at least 4 allies - and tapped on Tron's name.

In a haze of data, the program appeared beside him.

"Tron! You really came!" Ventus exclaimed, overjoyed by his arrival.

"Ventus? How did you-" Tron asked, before his eyes focused on the Wayfinder in Ventus' hand. "I am continuing with the presumption that 'my aid' really meant 'summoning me to your side'."

"Yeah, I thought we could find Vanitas quicker." Ventus answered while he pocketed the green object.

"From analyzing the landscape I have found out that this maze was of the Virus' creation so I can not manipulate the rules encoded here, which makes it harder to locate Vanitas." Tron explained, pulling up a small screen in the air before him. He tried tapping on different options only to see ACCESS DENIED pop up repeatedly.

"Rules?" Ventus inquired, peering at the small screen.

"Yes. Users and programs must adhere to a certain set of rules in order to prevent errors that would cause the system to lower in functionality. Looking at this maze from a logical standpoint, the Virus wants us to go in a certain direction or reach a particular point. Cheating like breaking the walls or jumping over them would cause us to stray from that path, so such actions would be designated as against the rules and have penalties administered to them." Tron stated it with such focus and fluidity, that Ventus couldn't help but be reminded that his friend was a computer program.

"Um, could you say that again? I only really understood half of it." Ventus admitted, scratching his head and squinting his eyes.

"I apologize. What I meant to say, is that this Virus is probably controlling the landscape so we will be lost. This maze could have no ending as long as the Virus wants it to." Tron reiterated, somewhat flustered.

"What?! Then we could walk for hours and be getting nowhere! That's completely unfair!" Ventus exclaimed, waving his hands. Everything in this maze must have been controlled by the Virus, then. Wait… did that include Aurora?

Tron seemed to notice his sudden shift in thought.

"Is everything alright, Ventus?" Tron asked.

"I mean, besides this situation, yeah. I was just thinking about how I ran into an old friend of mine, Aurora, while I was running through this maze. I managed to catch up to her, and she helped me remember a portion of my past as Ventus. She disappeared right afterwards." Ventus explained, crossing his arms while thinking.

"Then she must have been created by the Virus. You said previously that you wished to remember, correct? Perhaps the Virus is actually fulfilling your request."

 **RIGHT AS ALWAYS, TRON.**

There was a notification that buzzed to life in front of the two boys, catching them off guard.

"Who are you? Where did you take Vanitas?" Ventus demanded, going straight into an attacking stance and summoning his keyblade.

 **ACTING ON IMPULSE, AS ALWAYS, SORA. GO TO THE CENTER OF THE MAZE TO FIND WHAT YOU HAVE LOST.**

As it fizzled out of existence, Ventus charged at the screen with his keyblade. Running right through it, he found this part of wall in front of him disappearing, instead, to be replaced by a door. He bounced off of it, and fell to the floor.

"It would be beneficial to not attack rashly." Tron advised, offering his hand to Ventus. Ventus nodded and gladly took it, the two now standing before the entrance.

The blonde raised his hand to take the knob, before hesitating.

"The door's here because the Virus created it, right? What if Vanitas isn't behind here?" Ventus spoke, hating how much he was at the mercy of this seemingly malicious enemy. Everyone always pushed him in different directions, while all he wanted to do was help out his friends.

"If the Virus had plans to eliminate either of us, it would have done so already instead of teleporting us here. That is the only logical explanation. The only way to progress is 'playing along'." Tron concluded. He put his hand on Ventus' in shoulder to offer some form of comfort, his appearance having had returned to normal seeing as it was out of the question that the Virus could detect and find the Program.

Ventus turned back away from Tron and further inspected the door. Placing his hand on the wood texture, he realized that this was the same door he'd seen in Yen Sid's Tower, the one to Vanitas' room: the one that only _he_ could open. If Ventus concentrated, he could sense the ravenet nearby, his intuition knowing he should abandon all fear and face his friend with a renewed sense of purpose.

"Okay Tron, let's go!" Ventus exclaimed, pushing the door open.

* * *

"WHERE." Another close call from a pointy drill. "ARE." He stumbled back, the shockwave sending him off balance. "YOU." He managed to get a few slashes but it would just not stay down! _"VENTUS!"_ Vanitas called out as the wheel got a barricade of hits against him.

When Vanitas woke up this morning, he did not expect to be attacked by a spinning wheel - hey, he had nothing against them, but for some reason, they now had a vendetta against him. It crawled around too fast and jumped in the most randomest of places. Was it a heartless? It didn't have a symbol of one, but now Vanitas was trapped in this small sized space with one.

 _ **Wow, it got right back up-**_

At this point, Vanitas had a number of things he hated about his former self. One, he made it incredibly hard for his friends to trust him; two, he worked with Xehanort; and thirdly, the guy had no healing potions or spells. None, natta, not a single recovery item in sight. This meant that if the enemy landed a few more well placed hits, he could be out of the game without another word: no allies to rush in to save his fading heart.

 _ **No no no-**_

This was it, lying on the ground. One more hit and he'd be out for good. As much as he hated Donald's erratic boosts and heals, he'd give anything to have the feathered friend at his side. Was this payback for every time he'd complained? If so, then it was coming back to bite him in the worst possible way. Forget recovering Ventus' memories, he'd never see Riku or Kairi again, never taste another one of his mom's cakes again-

"Vanitas!" Ventus called out. Vanitas' eyes bolted open as he rolled over to dodge the piercing drill about to stab him.

"Ventus! It's about time you got here!" Vanitas complained.

"Hey don't yell at me! It's a maze, I got lost!" Ventus argued back. He was running towards the ravenet, Tron at his side. His eyes widened in alarm at noticing Vanitas' glaringly low health points. He looked like a mess.

"Whoa! Are you alright?" Ventus asked. Vanitas was bent over, out of breath.

"Can you just heal me already? Vanitas seems to have had no self-preservation." The ravenet groaned.

 _ **Slipping, slipping, slipping. This was it, finally, the moment he'd been waiting for. For him to prove his strength and end him in combat. End was a silly word for this situation. Fruition, yes, this feeling of fading away, drawn towards the blonde he'd been seeking-**_

And a wave of energy warmed his core as green magic washed over him. He felt his strength return and once again he was renewed. That weird feeling remained however: itching to do battle, to fight.

"Snap out of it!" Ventus yelled, drawing Vanitas back to reality as another attack was heading straight towards him. Vanitas managed to dodge roll out of the way as the Wheel Master - was that its name? - swirled around and hit the wall with its drill.

 **DESTRUCTION OF LANDSCAPE IS FORBIDDEN BY ANY UNIT.**

Popped up in its wake.

"There's that weird message again!" Vanitas said, running alongside Ventus to try and avoid the now airborne enemy. Vanitas had summoned Crownkeeper back, and was holding the keyblade in front of him with both hands. Ventus also wielded his in the same way, as Sora usually did with Kingdom Key, but Vanitas had a sneaking suspicion this keyblade wasn't meant to be held like this. It was not as heavy as Kingdom Key.

As the enemy stomped down, Vanitas managed to duck away, while Ventus wasn't so lucky. He recovered, managing to hear Vanitas' voice through the impact.

"What?!" Ventus called out.

The two boys were slashing wildly at the core of the wheel, only managing to get a few hits while Tron played support from a fair distance.

"Be careful, if you hit the walls too many times, you'll get electrocuted." Vanitas answered as the Master Wheel got back up and whirled to face them. It made a move with its spinning wheel for Ventus, but Vanitas teleported in front of the blonde and used his own two hands to roughly shove the wheel into the wall in a display of brute strength. Temporarily off balance, the Wheel Master felt a bolt of electricity rush through it from the impact.

That's when Ventus got an idea.

"Hey Tron, you said everything in this maze has to follow the rules, right?" Ventus asked. Vanitas summoned back his blade after throwing it aside to help Ventus and ran up to attack the monster from the side.

"It seems like you understood some of what I conveyed. You are correct!" Tron answered, sending a multitude of random blasts on and around the enemy.

"Well, what if we lure the heartless to attack us near the wall. It doesn't take fall damage, but the penalty has got to do something." Ventus proposed, dodging an attack by the drill. He shot a few blasts of fire from his blade.

"... And I can just dodge it with my teleportation, is that what you're getting at? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually impressed." Vanitas smiled, Ventus only responding with a begrudging 'hmph!'.

"One problem. I don't really know how to teleport." Vanitas admitted, stumbling back from another shock wave as the Wheel Master crashed to the floor. Ventus glared at him amidst the fight.

"What do you mean?!" Ventus said. "You literally just teleported five seconds ago, and a bunch of other times!"

"Yeah, to _you_ , and to _you_ , specifically. It's not something I think about, I just _do_ it." Vanitas complained. He was already back down to half health after temporarily becoming Ventus' meat shield, and it was hard to avoid most attacks in such a closed in area. Ventus was seemingly much lower, using another Curaga to restore his own vitality.

"If you're so high and mighty, just do it, then!" Ventus called back in a huff. Vanitas rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, let's see if this fails, idiot!" Vanitas grumbled. The boy ran towards the wall of the area, watching from a distance as Ventus and Tron tried to hold the enemy for the time being. They were doing their part, now he had to do his.

 _ **Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate** **.**_ He repeated like a mantra as he slapped his hands on his cheeks.

How exactly did he teleport? It was just like he'd told Ventus: it was something second nature, something he instinctively knew how to do. For some reason, he didn't mind as much as usual if he got hit if it meant getting up and personal with the enemy to do damage. It was only when he was low on hit points did he see the flaw in his strategy. This body, however weird it was, loved taking hits. He'd been fighting with the Wheel Master for a while before being knocked down and this lead to noticing the weird protection Vanitas' clothing had, absorbing most of the damage in order to prevent him from feeling the full force. It made sense that if it was between him and Ventus getting hit, he'd much rather take it.

When he teleported he didn't have to think of helping Ventus because without _**Ventus he couldn't-**_

Vanitas didn't have time to dwell on selfish thoughts as his body was pushed aside by the force of a deadly drill. Another shock of electricity raced through the enemy, seemingly with more charge than before. Without any other options, Vanitas summoned Crownkeeper and sent strokes of fire and ice at the core of the Wheel Master, leaping back after each attempt. It wasn't teleportation, but it was working: he was wearing out the heartless.

Maybe noticing a failure in its strategy, the Wheel Master jumped into the air again to try and land on Tron. The program managed to jump away in time, but the shockwave from the impact still managed to hit. Vanitas angrily ran over to the heartless, and wacked it in the center with his keyblade. It was almost out of Health points.

While in the air, however, the upper body of the wheel started to whirl around, catching Vanitas on one of the arm of the drill. As it shot out, Vanitas' body was flung to the ground, his body rolling a few metres and Keyblade scattering across the floor before disappearing. When Ventus looked over, he couldn't see his face, back to the blonde: Vanitas. wasn't. _moving._

"Vanitas?!" Ventus called out. No reply.

He _really_ should have given the ravenet some health items.

Vanitas was on the other side of the area, making it harder to get to him without the enemy getting an attack of opportunity. Concentrating, Ventus gripped Wayward Wind in the weird backhanded style for the first time since Mickey taught him this morning and focused all of his energy on hitting the center of the Wheel Master. Ventus went at it with everything he had in him at this point, which admittedly, wasn't much, but the adrenaline was making up for it. After dealing a load of combos, his blade shone with a burst of white, and he let out five wide slashes of light, finally managing to pierce the heartless in two. Landing from dealing the final blow, he watched with heavy breathing as Wheel Master whirred and spun around clumsily without a top before crashing to the floor, lifeless.

"We finished it off. Good work, Ventus." Tron cheered; perhaps, being a program, with less _gusto_ than Ventus would've had, but the sentiment still held the same joy. Ventus gave him a thumbs up, and smiled back.

"My plan worked, in your face-" Ventus managed to restore his own health, in doing so, looking over and remembering Vanitas' own plight. The two started to run over to Vanitas, surprised when the boy disappeared in a haze of data.

"What?!" Ventus exclaimed. Before he knew it, both him and Tron also felt themselves teleport away as well.

When Ventus opened his eyes, he knew he was still inside the computer. There was a raised platform just a few steps up from the ground a decent length away from him, with a figure sitting down in a chair mindlessly doing something on top. At the bottom of the steps off to the side of the stage laid an unconscious Vanitas, still in a state of disrepair. Tron was nowhere to be seen.

"Vanitas!" the blonde rushed over, only to be stopped by a translucent barrier of code keeping them apart. Ventus banged on it, the obstacle not budging.

"Welcome, Ventus." the entity said on the platform, not stopping the task they had been previously performing.

"What are you doing with Vanitas?!" Ventus yelled, summoning Wayward Wind and holding it accusatory in the entity's direction.

"I guess we haven't really met yet, huh? You met the real me, I suppose, but we've never gotten to know each other. I think we're still friends, though, right? Kinda my fault to begin with." They tucked a rectangular object under their arm and stood up, still facing away from the blonde. The chair disappeared in a hurricane of pixels with no one to occupy it.

"Friend...? Who are you?" Ventus asked, slightly confused, though still managing to stay on guard. She pushed her hair from her face shyly and turned to greet him with a smile.

"My name is Data-Naminé, but you can just call me Naminé."

* * *

Naminé. She was here, right in front of him. Ventus looked up and those eyes… they did not look normal. Her iris were blue, but the white that usually sat around those jewels had turned black. She had marks of corruption, ridged black lines cracking her skin.

Ventus was confused. Why had she taken Tron away and trapped Vanitas out of reach in this computer world? Had she even done those things?

"Naminé… what are you doing here?" Ventus asked, lowering his arm and keyblade to his side. She only continued to smile.

"I am not here. The real me is with Kairi, as Roxas is with you. I am a version of Naminé from Jiminy's journal. Data-Roxas brought a copy of me here as a backup in case the other Data-Naminé was destroyed. Seeing as he hasn't returned for somewhile, I can conclude he must've been successful." She explained. "You see, when I saw those memories within your heart, I thought that they were there through mere connections, not your actual memories as Ventus."

"Huh? You're not making a lot of sense." Ventus expressed, even more puzzled "Did you create that maze and heartless or not?"

"Heartless?" It was Naminé's turn to appear confused as she considered his words while tapping a crayon on her chin absentmindedly. "Oh, you mean the Wheel Master, the 'heartless'! I understand, my bad."

"You do? Because I still don't." Ventus replied, bordering onto impatient. A lot of this was not making any sense!

"You're right, Ventus. I am the Virus." Naminé answered, eyes glowing a weird blue for a moment. "I created that maze in order to see how many of your memories could be tampered with. I didn't want to harm you again."

Ventus went back on guard, taking a stance again to face her need be. She may have looked like Naminé, but too many things weren't adding up about her appearance and her actions. The vein-like cracks on her skin pulsated a light glow like waves upon the shore, coming to life and then fading.

"What are you doing to my head? Was any of that stuff with Aurora even real?" Ventus yelled.

"They were real, please believe me Ventus. I can even give you back all of your memories if you'd like." Naminé continued, holding her notebook in front of her lap and smiling. Ventus raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" Ventus reiterated, finally something she said making sense. Naminé must've been behind Aurora showing up in his pathway, and that drawing from earlier must've been hers as well. If recovering his memories was a good thing, then why did her appearance look so altered? Was that just due to her state as a Program? Tron looked unique and he himself took on that strange appearance as well when entering, but the way Naminé looked was something different. Something… off.

"On one condition." Naminé held up a single finger, taking on a more serious countenance. "You must leave Vanitas behind in the computer with me. It's the only way."

Ventus stole a glance over to the boy in the barrier, the ravenet seeming to stir from his unconscious state. He was still really hurt.

"... What do you want with him?" Ventus asked.

"Did, did Mickey not tell you what he did? What hurt he caused?" Naminé shot back, concern in her features as she made her way closer to him. Why was she looking at him like that? It wasn't his fault he couldn't remember anything! His brain started to hurt as voices tried to rise up inside of him, echoes from a past better left hidden away. All of the voices, calling out in a jumbled mess, it hurt his head.

"Ventus, I know you have the ability to take in the hurt from back then: this simulation proved that. I will give you time to think, so come back when you've decided, or come back never at all." Naminé spoke. Ventus did not see her approach while he clutched his head in his arms. As soon as he opened his eyes, she was right in front of him, arms reaching out.

"Wait, stop-!" Ventus called out. But it was already too late – his vision was getting blurry and then everything went black.

* * *

It felt like the battle was finally over. Ventus was safe. So was himself and Tron for that matter. Which led to the question why the hell he just felt like garbage.

When he slowly shifted his head, he could hear muffled voices, talking close, maybe far away? Blurry figures, one slowly moving towards the other? Everything was unsure and didn't make sense.

Ring-Ring-Ring-Ring-

The sound of his low health bar blaring over and over, annoying sirens trying to force him from sleep.

A figure dressed in white approached him as his mind was barely holding on; their smile too enthusiastic for him to tell whether or not it was genuine. Something about them pulled on that familiarity he couldn't quite discern, a far off memory purposefully hidden away.

"Oh what will I ever do with you? I can't have you dying on me just yet." The voice said, again striking a cord within his inner harp. That blaring sound stopped but he didn't feel much better.

"Go to sleep now," They continued, him not being able to fight them.

Everything weighed down, legs smitten with the floor and arms barely shifting when he tried moving. It hurt. A lot. Maybe it would be better if he just slept through the pain; perhaps when he woke up, Ventus would've healed him and he could go back home, see his friends again, and his friends see him for who he truly was. With that, his form went limp.

Vanitas fell back asleep, none the wiser.

* * *

"Ventus!" The group exclaimed, surprised when Ventus showed up suddenly in the real world. He appeared bewildered, just as shocked as everyone else, although not containing the same joy.

"Kairi, Riku, everyone, I…" Ventus didn't know what to say, becoming so overwhelmed with all of these faces and the confusing exposition Naminé had been trying to drill into him.

"Ventus, are you alright?" Kairi asked. She was so relieved. If he had been Sora, she would've hugged him. It was so scary watching the two suddenly disappear.

Ventus looked around. Ienzo and Mickey had returned.

"Yeah, I am, but Vanitas is still trapped in the computer. Naminé wants me to leave him there in exchange for my memories, but I can't do that!" Ventus complained.

"Wait, Naminé? How is she there?" Kairi asked, suddenly more confused due to the mention of her own Nobody.

"She said she and Data-Roxas were computer replicas created by Mick..." Everyone turned their head to the small mouse as Ventus drawled out his words "...key."

"Oh, gwarsh, I…" Mickey was speechless, his secret side project finally coming to light.

"Mickey," Riku paused, truly perplexed by the implications of Ventus' words "what is Ventus talking about?"

"Jiminy's Journal had a lot of lost data and in order to recover it, we input that data into a computer to try and find the information. There were a lot of bugs, and we needed a keyblade wielder who'd be willing to get rid of them. So, we created a Data version of Sora to help out." Mickey admitted.

"That's sorta kinda really weird, Mickey." Ventus said, kneeling down beside the king. A digital copy of him? Walking, talking, wearing his face? At least, his real face.

"Why didn't you just ask us to go in and solve the issue?" Riku asked, crossing his arms.

"It was around the time of the Mark of Mastery exam and I knew both of you would be busy." Mickey apologized, bowing his head.

"I'm a keyblade wielder! I would have helped." Kairi pointed out. Mickey truly went pale.

"I didn't want to interrupt your training, it seemed important to you. I was plannin' to tell you guys sooner or later. I'm sorry, if I'd known it would have upset you this much, I wouldn'a waited." Mickey continued. Ventus pressed his eyebrows together, thinking.

"Whoa, I don't think anybody's completely upset here. You could tell me more about Naminé? Or Data-Naminé, whatever?" Ventus asked.

"Well, I didn't think that the computer back at my castle would be able to connect with the network here, so there weren't any precautions set up. She was the last set of code to help us clear the journal of bugs." Mickey sounded somewhat exasperated, at a loss from the information given. They couldn't access the system right now and the confused blonde was the only one with answers.

Ventus got up, went over, and put his hand on the keyboard of the machine. He closed his eyes and concentrated, much to the confusion of his friends.

"Ventus, what are you doing?" Riku asked.

"What's it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to get back into the computer in order to save Vanitas." Ventus explained.

"Why?" Ienzo spoke up. Everybody looked at him, Ventus with more disbelief than the rest. Ventus rolled his eyes.

"I just said why-"

"I mean, he works for Xehanort – would it not be beneficial to just leave Vanitas in the computer until you can properly deal with him?" Ienzo proposed. Ventus was speechless, but everybody else seemed to be seriously considering the idea.

"Guys, you're not actually thinking about doing that, right?" Ventus asked, laughing nervously. The longer nobody answered, he grew more desperate. "Right?!"

"I don't know… maybe…" Riku spoke, still going over the idea in his head. If they kept Vanitas in there, it would be one more of Xehanort's supposed allies they wouldn't have to worry about: everyone in the room knew that. Ventus got more antsy the more the silence dragged on.

"Oh, come on." Ventus muttered, crossing his arms.

"We could for now leave him in there, and then once we come up with a plan and get Ven's memories back, we retrieve Vanitas." Mickey shared aloud with the gang.

"Vanitas is extremely low on health. If I start feeling extremely drowsy for no reason, then Vanitas could have trouble breathing, and then it's not even a question if we can get him out of there, because we might not even be able to." Ventus argued back, exasperated. He was moving his hands around, frantically trying to convince everyone that he was not insane for his objection.

"I know Naminé, at least, the Naminé I know would never hurt anyone." Kairi said softly, her eyes staring at the floor. She didn't know what to do in this situation, still trying to process what was going on. Riku was up to speed, however.

"Perhaps it'd be safer for him and everyone else if he was trapped in there." Riku added, trying to remain calm. "We don't know for sure that would even happen, Ventus."

But he wasn't Ventus! He wasn't this, he wasn't that, he was–

"You can't just keep people locked up in computers waiting for them to just fade away, Riku!" Ventus exploded, hands bouncing off his head and curling into fists at his side.

Whatever Riku was about to say died on his lips, taken aback with his mouth agape. Ventus' breathing was ragged, each breath slowly taken in and then crawled out like an iron sword dragged across the floor; his eyes filled with a long-forgotten flame once cooled by a brunet more than capable to take the torch to its satisfactory conclusion.

Passion. Anger. Loathing. Buried feelings now boiling beneath the surface.

"...Roxas?" Riku whispered, unsure and almost scared of the phantom before him.

Ventus' vision became clear again, blinking rapidly and standing up straight. There were too many emotions inside his heart, the organ racing in his chest.

"I…" Ventus started, but didn't know how to finish. Where did it even start? Why weren't the pieces lining up correctly? Everything was so confusing!

His eyes looked over to the computer dashboard, being drawn to the glowing surface. Without thinking about it too long, he slapped his hand on the device and was drawn into the digital world once again, his friends too late to stop him.

* * *

 _AN: Dun dun dunnn. Guess who's back to join the scene! Nami-bae! (lol jk jk). There's a lot I wanted to do in this chapter, and somehow my brain thought "wow, you can totally fit this all into one chapter". NOPE. Turned out longer than expected, but I thought this was a satisfactory cliffhanger mwahahaha. I coulda explained stuff but I love seeing the reactions and theories, it's great. — I searched up the male equivalent of Damsel in distress because Vanitas is at everyone's mercy for health points and recovery items, and it turns out it might be "a lad in distress". Which, is pretty cool - not cool for Vanitas though lol._


	4. Saviour Complex

**_AN: Hello everybody. So, it's not as long as usual, sorry, but I've been sitting on this first part for awhile and I felt bad not releasing it. There's a lot of jumping around here, from different times and POVs so I'll try being good about making it clear the who what when. This chapter we get our first Riku POV, yay! Thanks as always to my betas, ArunPharyn and Miano53._**

* * *

"Oh, you're back so soon." Data-Naminé commented, looking up from her drawing. All of her crayons had been sprawled out across her tiny desk and when Ventus tried to move, he heard the crunch of paper underneath his foot revealing the many drawings scattered about the digital floor. It was the same room from back in that Old Mansion within Twilight Town, the light from the window almost eerie due to how he knew it couldn't be from a sun. His digital clothes also contrasted with the bleak nature of the space, Data-Naminé's own blue pulsing scars and black sclera painting the whole scene as something that sat in between, the eerie feeling of waiting for a city bus on a lonely road in the dead of night.

"I thought you'd take at least a day to think things out, but looking back on that, you're more of a take action type, huh?" Data-Naminé continued, having a small chuckle. Ventus turned towards the wall of the room, taking a picture gently off the wall. After he continued to be silent, Data-Naminé prompted him again. "Have you made your decision?"

"Where's Vanitas and Tron?" Ventus asked as he continued to look at the crayon drawing of him, Riku, and Kairi on the beach when they were younger. He figured that Tron would be alright, considering he was more in tune with the world, but Ventus feared for his uncanny look-alike.

"Why don't you take a seat?" Data-Naminé said. She gestured at the other end of the table near him, a haze of blue pixels forming into a chair. Ventus didn't move from his spot, silently putting the drawing back and finally facing her.

"Naminé, why are you doing this?" Ventus snapped, the day having worn away at him like chalk slowly getting smaller after every stroke. Data-Naminé remained as patient as she could, if only letting out a short sigh due to understanding that this was going to take longer than she wanted it to.

"I want to help you, Ventus. I want to make it up to you, because I know you can do it." Data-Naminé answered. "You didn't get the opportunity to do it last time."

"What do you keep talking about? Memories I don't remember?" Ventus questioned further.

"Yes, and I can give all of them back to you, if only you leave Vanitas here, but," Data-Naminé slowly picked up her notebook as she raised from her own chair "I have a feeling that you came in here to get him back."

"Where is he?" Ventus asked, eyes searching the room.

"Somewhere safe. Tell me, did Mickey tell you about what happened? Why your memories are locked away?" Data-Naminé shot back at him.

"Something about fighting with Xehanort and forging the x-blade long ago." Ventus sighed, not really paying attention to what she was saying. Data-Naminé cleared her throat.

"I'm only asking, because I know if he did, you'd be fine with keeping Vanitas as far away as possible." She replied.

"Look, can I just have Vanitas back? I'll find my memories without your help." Ventus said, fed up at this point. He walked towards the door, Data-Naminé being too cryptic for his taste.

"Fine, I'll give you back one part of your memory, free of charge." Data-Naminé answered, picking up a crayon from the table and starting to draw in the notebook pressed against her chest.

Ventus by now had reached the doorway, fingers wrapped around the handle.

"I didn't correct you earlier, but you were wrong. The Wheel Master wasn't a Heartless," Data-Naminé finished drawing as Ventus opened the door, about to step out of the room only to be greeted by an abyss of darkness and mist. Stumbling back, the whole room turned into paper cranes; flying off of the newly revealed stein glass pillar into the unknown. Below him was Roxas sleeping amongst the green glass. Ventus looked up to face Data-Naminé. "It was an Unversed."

Ventus' eyes widened as suddenly a flock of monsters burst forth from her page, a haze of data projecting them into the world. The blonde knew he couldn't stay shocked for long, Wayward Wind summoned to his hand.

First it was a wave of little creatures that danced and twitched as they raced on four legs towards him. They looked like low level heartless, but somehow, heartless seemed more docile in comparison. These creatures had sharp points and were made of precise angles, two long rods of lightning jutting out of their head.

Ventus made quick work of them, each turning into black flame as he dispatched each and every one.

"Floods?" Ventus thought out loud. That's what these were called, right? He shook his head and tried to focus his attention on Data-Naminé. These were just distractions, an obstacle to keep him from getting closer to her. She was already on the other end of the pillar, scribbling away on her notepad to create more Unversed.

Next were similarly sized creatures that stood on two legs and had 3 fingered claws they used to swipe eagerly at Ventus. He managed to avoid most of them, these Scrappers, noticing how predictably they moved. Seeing an opening, he dashed towards Data-Naminé, dispelling Scrappers as he passed.

Too focused on her, however, he failed to notice the Mandrake hidden within the glass. It burst forth in front of him within a golden cloud of pollen, causing him to stumble back coughing. As he tried to swing at this new nuisance, vines darted out to jab at him. Acting on reflex, he blocked the attack and sent them off his keyblade. Fire surged forth from his blade as any Mandrakes left on the field were burned to ash.

A Bruiser decided to bully him from behind, Ventus unable to react to a large punch from the larger enemy. To make the already hard blow worse, he managed to stumble into some ill-placed Blobmobs, which shocked him and split into two from his physical assertion. Ventus winced as he stumbled, regaining his footing and blocking another blow. He kicked the Bruiser off its feet after jabbing his foot into its side. He ran for Data-Naminé, dodge rolling out of the way off some swooping Arch Ravens.

Any effort to regain footing in this fight was in vain, for the two Blobmobs managed to reach out with their tentacles and pull his feet right out from under him, dragging him away from the digital Nobody. Slamming to the ground must've knocked some old memories into him, quickly rolling onto his back and aiming his keyblade at the Blobmobs as he was moving across the glass. A well placed shot of ice froze the two Unversed jellyfish and he managed to defeat them with a keyblade throw. Their tentacles shattered and his feet were released.

Axe flappers, hareraisers, jellyshades, glide winders… Unversed of all different shapes and sizes relentlessly berated him. Data-Naminé watched him suffer from afar, a simple flick of the wrist bringing more enemies off the page.

Ventus was on the floor, almost out of magic and HP, as well as on his last stretch of stamina. The Unversed began to crowd around, faces holding no sympathy. Seeing as the group was about to pounce, Ventus weakly shielded himself by guarding his arms… but no attack came.

"Have you given up yet, Ventus?" Data-Naminé asked. When Ventus opened his eyes, everything had paused around him, Unversed frozen in place.

Data-Naminé came to stand over him, a chrono-twister hovering at her side.

"No, not until you give me back Vanitas." Ventus grunted, trying to get up on his elbows. Data-Naminé looked down at him with pity.

"Do you know what these are? What these Unversed did?" Data-Naminé questioned, her softened blue eyes trying to meet his own fierce pair.

"They attacked all of the worlds, like that of belonging to Aurora and Experiment 626. They're annoying, but caused a lot of havoc to these people." Ventus answered, groaning when he was too weak to get up.

"You're forgetting the important part. Find it inside you. Where do these Unversed come from?" Data-Naminé urged him to think harder, hugging her notepad to her chest. Ventus managed to drag out a health potion, gulping it down as he thought.

They were made of darkness, right? So maybe they were like heartless?

 _...a horde of fledgling emotions under my control._

Ventus' eyes widened.

" ** _Vanitas._** " He whispered in realization. Just as it connected, time unfroze and the Unversed began to attack again. Ventus was able to roll out of the way, standing to look at Data-Naminé through the group of charging Unversed.

It was impossible, yet the image of the Unversed emerging from Vanitas' shadow was so crisp and clear in his mind, he had to be right. There was anger inside him at this thought, similar to the one that burned when he'd talked to Riku just outside. Everything had been tunneled towards Riku, losing himself in loathing and bitterness, that nobody else was in the room except his feelings and the person that made him feel that way.

Strangely enough, this weaker version of passionate hatred, wasn't centered on Data-Naminé, but on the very boy he was trying to get back: Vanitas.

With earlier, Ventus felt he could at least understand after the haze cleared why he had those emotions. He knew about Riku ripping Roxas away from Axel and his own identity, changing his memories and forcing him to return when it just wasn't his time. Yet now, he had no context, no reason for his distaste.

Slashing, swiping, cutting - He took out his growing confusion and anxiety on the surrounding Unversed, although it did nothing to cure him. Ventus saw a bruiser lung at him and his body hit the glass as he rolled to dodge an attack, a sound ringing clearly through with the motion.

 _Clink!_

Ventus quickly targeted a blast of flame towards his enemy, glancing over at the noise. When he was rolling, his wayfinder had fallen out of his pocket, almost visibly indistinguishable from the rest of the stein glass floor.

Ventus saw it.

Data-Naminé saw him eyeing it.

Both dashed for the object.

Ventus clambered to make it there, but a Raven like Unversed swooped down to snatch it up first.

"Hey! Give it back!" Ventus yelled at the bird. He could attack the bird to get the object down, but that would mean the bird could drop the wayfinder, and Ventus didn't know how fragile the item was. He glanced over at Data-Naminé. Her head quickly ducking down at her sketchbook, as if she didn't want him to catch her staring. Ventus gritted his teeth.

"You can't just give me a choice and then get mad at me when I don't pick the one you want!" Ventus, well, vented! It was unfair, all of these rules pitted against him. His attacks were starting to become more forceful with the surrounding Unversed when it was obvious to him Data-Naminé wasn't even paying attention. What was the point of all this? Source of Unversed or not, he shouldn't be wasting time when Vanitas was off aching alone anywhere but here.

"Let's end this!" He exclaimed, shooting his keyblade up in the air. A tornado whirled around him, wind scooping up all the surrounding Unversed in a clear circular motion. Ventus braced himself as it gently played with his loose clothing, yet still kept his eyes on Data-Naminé. All the Unversed hit the ground in a blaze of data when the hurricane dropped them, leaving an opening in the chaos.

Ventus became a blur. The wind propelled him forward, giving Data-Naminé no time to react when he lunged at her. His hand on her forehead, notebook dropped from her hands–

"Sleep!" He commanded.

Data-Naminé's eyes shut immediately. He made sure to catch her as she collapsed into his arms. Thinking quickly, he kicked her notebook far away so that she wouldn't be able to attack if his plan didn't work. He laid her down flat and put his hands on her arm. Hopefully, magic would be able to cure her of the viral infection. Deep down, he knew she wasn't hurting him on purpose.

"Curaga." Ventus said, pushing a green burst of energy into her arms. She started to rouse from her temporary sleep, Ventus drawing in a breath of air, waiting with anticipation…

A few seconds passed. Silence. No Unversed were left, wayfinder on the floor a few feet away due to the raven's demise. The lines on her skin remained and when their eyes met, Ventus could see the black permeated all of the usual white.

"Oh c'mon Naminé, please come back. I thought for sure that would work." Ventus threw his hands up in the air, sighing. Data-Naminé got up on her elbows, blinking.

"Work, you mean-, ohhh." Data-Naminé murmured. She closed her eyes and all of the lines on her skin faded away. Her appearance went back to normal, filling Ventus with joy.

"I knew it! You're okay!" Ventus hugged her, pulling her close to his chest. Data-Naminé patted his back slowly.

"Yeah… I'm okay." Data-Naminé echoed his statement back to him. Ventus pulled away so they were face to face. She didn't seem as happy as he was.

"Don't worry, I knew the Virus just altered your thinking so you would make those Unversed attack me. Not the first time one of my friends has been possessed." Ventus shrugged, approaching this matter like it was no big deal. He stood up and offered out his hand for Data-Naminé to stand. She bit her lip, looking him over before hesitantly taking his hand.

"Yep, the virus had me real good. I'm so glad you saved me." Data-Naminé nodded, her voice almost flat as she rubbed her neck. Ventus put his hand on his hip, joy melting into curiosity.

"So, how did you get taken over by a Virus?" Ventus asked.

"I was sloppy. The bugs took me over and made me pull you into the digital world. I was thinking of reaching out anyways to help you get your memories back. Which, reminds me, the Unversed, it's really important I talk to you about them." Data-Naminé said, suddenly perking up.

"If you need to talk about the Unversed, you can do it while Vanitas is here. Did the virus make you do something to him?" Ventus' mood fell into worry.

"No, Ventus, that's the thing." Data-Naminé took one of his hands between her own two palms, holding it between them. "You must never tell Vanitas about the Unversed. His memory of them is the only thing keeping them from coming back. The minute he finds out, he'll be unable to control himself and it'll be chaos."

Ventus blinked, concern etched into his features.

"Please, promise me, no matter what, you won't tell him about the Unversed. Don't tell anyone." Data-Naminé begged. Her grip on his hand tightened.

"Of course Naminé. I trust you." Ventus answered with stern nod. He could tell she was desperate, and he believed in her. Data-Naminé was smart.

"Good." Data-Naminé said, finally smiling sincerely since she had been healed.

"You can, uh, let go of my hand now." Ventus suggested, his cheeks a faint red as he avoided her eyes. Data-Naminé's own cheeks grew intensely pink as she realized how long they had been touching.

"Right!" Data-Naminé let go and quickly put her own hands behind her back. She squirmed under his equally as embarrassed gaze.

"So, um, Vanitas!" Data-Naminé blurted out. She started pulling up different screen in mid air, little blue boxes to type on. "I'll bring him over."

Blocks of 0's and 1's dazzled right across from them, Vanitas' body appearing in the air. He wasn't awake.

"Is he, is he going to be alright?" Ventus asked. Vanitas continued to float up and down in the digital space. He was still unconscious. Data-Naminé pursed her lips.

"He should be awake soon. I made sure that he got healed." Data-Naminé said. Ventus tried reaching out to touch him, but upon realization quickly retracted his hands.

"How am I going to take him out into the real world? I can't touch him and I don't want him to stay in here alone." Ventus said.

"Hmm, that is going to be a problem. Do you know for sure you can't carry him? You just can't touch him, right?" Data-Naminé said, stroking her chin. Ventus flexed his arms.

"I don't know how strong Ventus is. Sorry I can't be of much help with finding an answer." Ventus said regretfully, shaking his head. Data-Naminé hummed, thinking to herself. Her thoughts were interrupted by a small notification appearing in the air before her.

"What'cha got there?" Ventus said. He tried to lean over and see it for himself as she was reading. Quickly, Data-Naminé waved the pop up away and clapped her hands together.

"I've come up with a solution. I think you can carry him, just, we'll have to wrap him up in something." Data-Naminé purposed. Ventus just tilted his head.

Data-Naminé took out her notebook and started to draw something. Ventus was startled, thinking she was going to call out an unversed, and a clean white blanket appeared instead. She carefully wrapped Vanitas in it, spinning him in the air.

"Hold out your hands." Data-Naminé instructed. Ventus nodded and held them out under Vanitas, the boy slowly lowered into his arms. He was a little heavy, though nothing he couldn't manage.

"Thank you, Naminé." Ventus said. His face then became incredibly red.

"No, shoot, wait, I didn't mean _that_ thank you, I still have to - ugh." He bowed his head, defeated. Data-Naminé laughed.

"It's fine, Ventus. I'm sure if you ever meet the real me, she'll be glad to hear it." Data-Naminé said. "I don't want to keep you. Please, don't give up on Vanitas, even as you start to remember. He really needs a good friend like you to help him."

Ventus grinned from ear to ear.

"Of course." He promised.

* * *

"You should come through the portal sometime." Kairi said.

"I don't need any training done. Keyblade master, remember?" Riku leaned forward on his elbows. Kairi crossed her arms and shifted her shoulders around.

"I know, I've ' _got it memorized'_ ," Kairi repeated the phrase she'd heard one too many times. "just, I really want you and Sora to come and see it. It's an amazing view."

Everyone was waiting around for Ventus to return. They'd brought chairs in from the study while Ienzo continued to try and gain access to the computer. The click clacking of keys had become just as common as his grumbles of failure in the background of their conversation.

Kairi had been discussing her training under Merlin and the sunset within that place.

"It's a Forest, right?" Riku said.

"Yep. Speaking of appearances, I've been thinking of changing mine up. Y'know, maybe just like, a little trim. To keep the ends healthy. Might grow it out if I'm not happy with it." Kairi said. She held a piece of hair out and scissored it between two fingers. Boy oh boy, Riku understood the struggles of maintaining long hair.

After Riku cut it down, he remembered the first morning afterwards waking up with a bright clear view of his room. Everything had just been a sea of silver before. The strands got everywhere, and his shedding had become maddening to his mother in particular, who often had clients come visit the house for meetings.

Riku could remember the way _he and his mom had settled in the living room after she'd gone through the whole "How could you leave for so long?! We missed you! You're in big trouble…!" routine Riku had expected. It was late at night, a cup of hot chocolate purchased in his hands and his mother's own drink dosed with Bailey's. Silence, save for the soft ticking coming from the clock in the kitchen. Both of them were tired and his mom in particular had a heavy redness around her eyes._

 _"You know," she started, Riku feeling her hand softly stroke his hair "I always secretly loved your long hair. I could never get it to grow out that lovely and long when I was younger."_

 _Riku looked up from the drink in his lap at her._

 _"Were you jealous?" He asked._

 _"Of course not, especially since you never liked to brush it. Gel could only do so much." She had said before taking another sip of her hot chocolate._ Riku could only smile. His mind drew away from that memory and back towards Kairi.

"Not going all the way, huh?" Riku prompted Kairi, gesturing to his own hair. The strands came down to his ears.

"As respectable as that is, I don't want to look exactly like you. No offence." Kairi said. Riku opened his mouth to reply with a boastful retort, but closed it with when his train of thought changed course.

How could Vanitas look exactly like Sora?

Oh man were Ventus and Vanitas confusing, and on some degree Mickey was too. Ventus was probably just Roxas with amnesia again; the universe taunting him for those 7 days in captivity, and Vanitas was like if Sora had fallen into darkness and never woke up. Some say that eyes are the windows to the soul, and those golden suns made him want to close the blinds and stay inside forever.

That's the part where Riku challenged Mickey the most. He said Vanitas was someone that existed in his past, worked under Xehanort, and almost caused Kingdom Hearts to fall into the hands of evil. But, Riku had a different theory. While Mickey's story would stay the same, perhaps Vanitas was just another boy that had been manipulated by Xehanort as he himself had been by Ansem. Riku would figure out the whole "why does he look like Sora" thing later, though for now, Riku was acting on this assumption. From the way that he acted, there had been _some_ reform of character.

Out of safety, Riku would continue to operate as though Vanitas were an enemy, because Riku knew how dangerous even he had been back when he himself worked under Maleficent. He'd been so consumed by all of his feelings, he acted rashly even if his original intent had been morally good. Ventus was an entirely different skeleton in Mickey's closet that Riku felt too guilty to think about.

"Riku? Are you okay?" Kairi inched closer and Riku was pulled from his thoughts.

"Yes, uh, sorry, what were we talking about?" Riku said. Kairi never got the chance to respond.

Both of their eyes were suddenly drawn to the computer as it started to whirr and light blasted out, Ienzo standing up triumphantly. Everyone then turned their attention to the platform as Ventus and Vanitas appeared.

"Hey guys," Ventus said. The group crowded around him anxiously, yet most had some relief at seeing him return safely. Riku had his hands in his pockets.

"Ventus, you made it back." Kairi said, the first in the room with the courage to reply. Blue hair peaked up over her shoulder.

"Tell me, did I get you out?" Ienzo asked, hopeful. Riku had to admire Ienzo's determination at retrieving Ventus, eager to prove himself after switching sides.

"Nope, Naminé let me out." Ventus answered. Ienzo's shoulders slumped, mouth becoming a thin line.

Ventus looked from Ienzo to Riku and it almost startled him. His mouth became dry.

"Ventus, I..." Riku started, but he didn't know what to say. What _could_ he say? Ventus shook his head.

"It doesn't matter right now, just-" Ventus seemed to be tetering "can someone take Vanitas? Please? He's still unconscious and he's heavy."

"Sure," Riku said. He stepped forward and took the Vanitas burrito from Ventus, the smaller boy giving out with a sigh of relief. Riku could swear that the scent of darkness emanating from Vanitas was stronger, almost hesitating. He owed Ventus this, so he'd bear with the smell for now.

It was kind of awkward putting Vanitas onto his back, but Kairi helped him with draping the white blanket over Vanitas' shoulders. Vanitas' legs were so loose around his waist that Riku knew he wasn't just faking it.

"I would carry him myself, just, y'know the whole can't touch thing." Ventus mumbled. Riku nodded, shifting Vanitas to fit more comfortably.

"Can you carry him with your cast still on?" Kairi said. Riku froze and looked down at his wrist, still encased in white. He'd gotten so used to it being there, he'd learned to manage the temporary disability.

"It's fine, I'm getting the cast off soon anyways." Riku dismissed.

"Wait what, that's a cast? How'd you get it?" Ventus said, looking closer. Ienzo also looked closer, coming to the same realization.

"I see, I thought it was just some stylistic choice. Fascinating that you're still able to fight given your condition." Ienzo remarked.

Riku could swear there was a leak or something in his brain, because words just continued to slip away. Should he tell him that Roxas caused it considering their previous interaction? That would make things even more awkward. He hated this.

Too much time went by, so Mickey picked up the conversation.

"Ven, are you alright? We became worried about you when you suddenly left." Mickey said, stepping forward.

There was that little nickname again. Now that Riku thought about it, the only people he'd heard calling him 'Ven' were Mickey and Vanitas - perhaps Lea might've - but for sure Vanitas fell into that category. Vanitas also called Ventus 'Roxas' once or twice, and not in a slip of the tongue sort of way. Riku tried to mentally shake himself of those thoughts. Why'd everything come back down to _him?_

"I'm... feeling better. Yeah." Ventus answered. "Naminé told me some things that were a little hard to hear, but I need to tell you about the information I gained from her." Ventus went on to explain how they found Tron and encountered bugs in the computer, about Naminé being controlled by a virus and how he managed to defeat it and free her. He described a huge heartless that they'd had to fight.

"Did you get any of your memories back?" Mickey asked. Did Riku detect a hint of worry in his voice?

"Yeah! I got some from the Enchanted Dominion, though there's still a lot of holes. It's like, there's these gaps that I know are important, and I just can't reach them." Ventus explained.

"Do you remember why you went to the Enchanted Dominion?" Mickey said.

Ventus squinted and furrowed his eyebrows with a soft hum. He then blinked rapidly and shook his head, hand cupping the side of his face.

"...I'm sorry what were we talking about? No. _Ummmm..._ " Ventus said. Riku understood that it was hard when your memories got messed up. It was hard to tell left from right sometimes, foggy memories even more unclear than before.

"That's okay, we'll get them right on sorted an' back. Don't you worry, fella'." Mickey said, swinging his arm in front of his chest. Perhaps that worry Riku had detected could be categorized better as concern?

Riku supposed it didn't matter. He just had a habit of reading facial expressions due to the amount of manipulation he had been berated with by villains over the years. Sora usually sucked at it, but he always went with his gut and his gut was right most of the time.

"Did she give us back the access to the old journal entries and data files?" Riku asked. Ienzo slid into the computer chair and typed in some things.

"No luck. It is still denying me access." Ienzo said, looking up at all of them.

"Naminé said she couldn't risk us finding anything that could set my memories off and overwhelm my heart. But, she _did_ say would give us a clue as to where to look next. She said it'd be under–" Ventus squinted at the black writing on his palm. "Nami_ , whatever that means."

Ienzo seemed to understand, however, and quickly made the image full screen for everyone to see.

"Hmm..." Ventus squinted at the screen analyzing the image. All of his friends leaned forward in anticipation. This was it, the next chapter of their journey, and...

"I don't get it." Ventus said frankly. Everyone slouched.

"Geez, Ventus." Kairi whined, scratching her head. She was a tiny bit disappointed, hoping her digital nobody would've wanted to communicate something she would recognize.

Riku inspected it, his eyebrows furrowing. It was hard to focus with the big weight on his shoulders.

"Um." Riku tilted his head. "Well, it's weird, it's like a wooden version of Sora's Kingdom Key."

The picture had been drawn with crayons, a signature style of the artistic nobody. Laid out on grass was what Riku described: a wooden kingdom key. Something inside Ventus responded to this picture. It resonated with that feeling of sword-fighting with Riku on the beach when he was younger; both inexperienced and eager to challenge each other.

There was a pop up on the screen, a notification.

" _Some things never grow old,_ " Kairi read out. The room was quiet for moment, thinking it over.

"Neverland!" Ventus exclaimed. "Nobody ever grows up there."

"I see. So that's where you guys will be headed next." Mickey nodded, smiling. "If we're quick, we can-"

He was cut off from a voice in the computer.

"Hey! Ienzo, you there?!" Cid appeared on the computer screen.

"Cid?" Kairi exclaimed.

"Kairi, what're you doin' 'ere on your day off? Who's that there on Riku's back?" He asked. Riku readjusted Vanitas a tiny bit.

"This is Vanitas. I'm Ventus, but." Ventus said.

"But?" Cid squinted.

"Yeah, I don't really remember. Call me Ventus." Ventus said with a shrug. Cid shook his head. Ienzo came closer.

"Yes, I'm here Cid, why did you call me?" Ienzo replied.

"To make sure you get fed. Dinner'll be ready 'ere soon." Cid berated, toothpick jumbled up in his mouth.

"You, you don't have to keep making me dinner." Ienzo said, a bashful light red of embarrassment on his cheeks. He bowed his head to hide his face.

"Of course I do, holed up in that place all day. You need to get out, you're twice as young as me! You need to embrace your youth!" Cid commanded, slamming his fist on his own console.

"Wait, how old are you, Ienzo?" Kairi asked, turning from the screen to the blue-haired boy.

"I'm 17?" Ienzo answered quietly, unsure. Riku never knew that. Huh.

"Hey, did you make extra for the rest of us?" Ventus spoke up.

"Who do you think I am?! The minute Leon and Yuffie told me we'd be havin' guests, me and Aerith got right back into that kitchen!" Cid said, leaning back and crossing his arms.

"It's nice to meet you two, Ventus, Vanitas." Aerith said, walking past Cid in the background.

"Hey! If you see that alien on the way back, can you guys capture it?" Yuffie exclaimed, butting in beside Cid. From her many bruises, it seemed she came back to base empty handed.

"Perhaps it's for the best Experiment 626 remains uncaught…" Ventus said with a small smile. He was a very intelligent alien, able to outwit most opponents.

"Fine, I'll come and join you all." Ienzo sighed.

"Don't forget to-" Cid was cut off by Ienzo pressing a button. The USB like object from before was ejected and Ienzo put it carefully away.

"It seems like he cares for you." Kairi pointed out. Ienzo sighed, sitting in an empty chair

"It seems that way, huh? That place takes in all types of lost souls. I guess I fall under that list now, my purpose under the Organization null." Ienzo answered simply.

"Aren't you waiting for Even to show up?" Riku asked.

"That may be true. Speaking of, I'm going to check for him before I leave, don't wait up for me. I'll make it to the base alone." Ienzo said.

"Promise me." Kairi said, putting a hand on one of her hips and pinky finger out. Ienzo narrowed his eyes, trying to determine whether or not she was serious. He sighed with a small smile, hooking his pinky with hers.

"If it would reassure you, I promise." Ienzo said. Kairi grinned and the two pulled away their hands.

Once the group was outside the Hollow Bastion castle, they headed back to base.

"Let's get a move on, okay? Vanitas is going to do permanent damage to my back at this rate." Riku said.

"It's getting late, we don't want to be out for long when the sun's coming down." Mickey said. The heartless were more plentiful when the moon was in the sky.

Everyone nodded and they began to make their way out of Hollow Bastion. As they were walking down the street, Ventus had his arms crossed behind his neck.

"Naminé said he was going to be alright. I'm glad." Ventus spoke to Riku, nodding at Vanitas.

Had Ventus and Vanitas really become so close within a day or so? Honestly, Ventus was going to give Sora a run for his money at how fast he was at making friends. Vanitas was still an enemy, someone who hurt Ventus. How could Ventus look past that so easily?

Kairi scooted closer, sandwiching Ventus between her and Riku.

"So, uh, did Naminé talk about me? Anything at all, maybe...?" Her voice got smaller as she trailed off. She tried to look disinterested, scratching the side of her face with a finger and avoiding eye contact.

"The data versions in the computer are only replicas. The real Naminé doesn't exist anymore." Mickey answered for Ventus. Riku saw Kairi's disappointment in real time, the slump of shoulders and defeated smile.

"Oh yeah, okay, I know, but – okay, yeah." Kairi caved into herself, arms running up her shoulders in an effort to comfort herself. Riku'd comfort her too if he didn't have a body on his back.

"I don't entirely believe that." Ventus said, frowning. Kairi blinked. "I don't think she's all gone."

Kairi nodded, some light returning to her eyes. Riku didn't want to continue this conversation because he knew for sure that Roxas himself, wasn't gone. What he had witnessed earlier proved that.

So he just continued forward, trying not to think of it.

* * *

Data-Naminé didn't know how else she should frame her home. The real Naminé had lived in Castle Oblivion for only a few days, and yet those white walls seemed to follow her everywhere she had went. When Diz had shown her her room in the Old Mansion, it was like arriving back in that cage. That time, she had a window and curtains to filter the sun.

 _"I have chosen to be here,"_ she had thought _"I must stay close to Sora in order to heal him"_.

So, without any other frame of reference, that's what Data-Naminé's residence looked like too. She took the liberty of opening up the space, the singular white room as huge and finely shaped as Belle's castle ballroom. In the center was a round table, a vase filled with flowers that would never wilt, and on one side of the room was a huge window that slowly cycled through the time of day.

The best difference, however, was that there was always someone waiting for her to come and sit down.

"Welcome back, Naminé." He said. Data-Naminé gave him a small nod as she took a seat beside him at the table, setting her notepad and crayons on the glass surface. She didn't glance at him.

"It's nice to see you too, Rem." She nodded. Rem smiled back brighter under his black hood, leaning forward to rest his chin on his palm. Data-Naminé remained silent, lost in needlessly straightening her crayons.

"Did… did everything go well?" Rem said, noting her almost somber expression. Data-Naminé stopped in her ministrations and pulled her hands into her lap.

"I feel bad about lying to him." Data-Naminé admitted. She suddenly seemed so small in this wide open white room. "I know I had to pretend I was being controlled by a virus in order for him to fight me, and yet... Gosh, I even had Tron lie to him for my sake."

She didn't look like she was going to burst into tears anytime soon, although her actions still clearly distressed her. Her thoughts faded with a long drawn out sigh, trying to compose herself. She reached out to grab a crayon.

"It's going to be alright. You followed your gut and did what you thought was best for Sora. As your friend, I'm pretty proud of you, Naminé." Rem said, hand beside hers on the table. His pinkie flirted with hers and she smiled as their two fingers engaged in a small pointless battle.

"Thank you, and for that message you sent as well. I would've never thought of the blanket." Data-Naminé said, grinning. Rem pulled away and leaned back in his chair, elbows perched on the top of the backrest.

"I know, aren't I amazing? What would you do without me?" Data-Naminé couldn't see any of his expressions under his hood, but she was pretty sure he had a big smirk on his face. She laughed and shook her head, diving into her drawing.

"I wouldn't go that far." Data-Naminé gave a dry laugh, shifting a bit in her seat.

"I would, I mean, meeting you was the best thing to ever happen to me. We were all alone until we met each other." He shifted his chair closer and Data-Naminé tried resisting the urge to move hers away.

"I… I chose to be alone. It was my burden to bear." Data-Naminé said. She was created to help sort through the memories that were lost, the ones that would help Sora deal with the hurt. She paitently waited until Data-Sora came to her door.

"Oh no, don't misunderstand me. I wasn't trying to say anyone forced you to be that way. We both know what it's like to be controlled, to be manipulated. How much it hurts... It's why I trust you so much, 'cause you'd never do anything to let me down, right?" Rem said, face tilted in a way that his eyes stared into her through the shadow of his hood. Somehow his hand found its way on top of her own. She sighed.

"Right, Rem." Data-Naminé said with a smile. She took his hand and held it tightly between her palms. Rem was her only friend in this digital landscape. Ventus and Vanitas both came and went, but no matter what, Rem would always be there for her.

* * *

 ** _About 12 years ago…_**

Sora's mom took special care with tucking her child in that night. The sheets were freshly washed and still retained the warmth of the dryer, everything in his room had been cleaned to the last speck. She hadn't put away his clothes from the hospital yet - those needed to be cleaned - but it didn't matter. Her son was back home.

"Everything all comfy, Sora?" She asked, tucking in the covers. She sat down at his side, holding his hand.

"Yep!" Sora said. His mom smiled, before turning into a frown at watching him try to stifle his coughs.

"Oh honey, the doctors said it'll clear up soon enough. Tomorrow, I'll bake your favourite: red velvet. How about it?" She resisted looking sorrowful, hating to see her one and only everything suffering like this. He was better, but not completely off the hook. As she padded a hand through his hair, she thought about how she came so close to losing him, and yet here he was. Able to be felt and loved, fed ice cream on hot days, and sing softly to whenever he had bad dreams.

"Cake will make me feel better!" Sora beamed, his cute face poking out of the covers. She returned his smile with a much softer one, and leaned over near her feet to grab something in a bag.

"I was going to wait for your birthday, but I decided that perhaps this was the right time to give you this." She brought up a grey stuffed animal that looked like a cat and had small squinting button eyes.

"Ooh!" Sora exclaimed, reaching out eagerly for the gift.

"This is 'Chirithy'. He's a family heirloom. He was grandma's and her mom before hers, then mine, and now he's yours." She explained, handing him the toy. He quickly hugged it.

"'Chirithy' is weird. I'm gonna call him ' '." Sora announced, looking over his new possession carefully. Mr. Snuffles had been well loved, but also taken care of for the amount of years since it had been tailored. Sora wasn't sure if he had seen this type of stuffed animal before in a store or not, due to it looking vaguely familiar. No, he was being silly, was super old.

"You can name him whatever you want. Your great grandma said that he was a dear friend of hers and always was there to guide and protect her. He's your friend now, too, Sora. Take good care of him, alright?" She patted both him and the stuffy on the head.

Sora giggled, holding tighter.

"Okay! I will!" Sora answered. It was perfectly soft and cuddly, just the way Sora liked it.

"Get to sleep now. You still need all of your strength to fully recover." She said, smiling as she reached down to kiss him on his forehead. After turning off the lights – quietly blowing one more kiss – she closed the door and left.

Sora waited a few minutes, hearing her go through the ruminations of her own night time routine before there was complete silence. The brunet positively beamed, having been looking forward to this night ever since the hospital staff told him he would be relieved. Unsurprisingly, part of that excitement had been due to the fact he was finally free to eat and go wherever he wanted. The pudding was good for the first few days, but then it had started to grow stale like everything else overtime. Yet, what Sora had really been excited for, was being able to play with Riku and his other friends again.

Now, he was going to secretly meet up with Riku. Before his operation, Riku and Sora promised that they would meet each other on the beach the night he was released from the hospital. Riku wanted to show Sora all of the stars and tell him about this weird theory he came up with. They had been planning to do it the same day Riku had met that teenager, but Sora had collapsed before they could ask their parents.

Sora pulled out a set of clean clothes he had put under the bed, not wanting to risk any noise by getting some out of the drawers. As he quickly got changed, he stole a glance at , the cat-like stuffed animal staring lifelessly at him in a way the young brunet chose to interpret as judgmental. The brunet sighed and sat beside on the bed.

"I know I should stay home, but I want to go see Riku." Sora whispered, trying not to whine too loudly.

was silent.

"Look, I promised Riku I'd meet up with him, so I can't just break that promise. Don't look so sad, ." Sora tried to convince his new adamant friend. Said friend in question didn't even blink. Sora nodded in understanding.

"Okay, . Won't stay out too late." Sora squeezed the stuffy in one last hug before carefully tucking the dutiful guardian underneath the covers. It could only watch as he snuck outside his bedroom window, using a nearby palm tree to slide down to the ground. All he had to do now, was find Riku.

* * *

"Hey Sora!" The young silver haired youth waved at him as he ran up the shoreline.

"Riku!" Sora called back excitedly. It'd been a long while since he'd been able to stand on this shoreline. After he'd fallen into critical condition, all he could see were the walls of the hospital staring back at him. That slowly fading beep… beep… beep of a heart struggling to thrive was his only companion to greet him after the surgery anesthesia wore off.

When he'd miraculously recovered, Riku was able to visit him in the hospital. He had asked Riku to give him something; though five year olds don't have much to their names, and four year-olds don't know what to ask for. On the second visit, Riku showed up with a proud smile on his face as he hid the items behind his back.

"Ooooh! Riku! Riku! Tell me what is it? What is it?!" Sora exclaimed ecstatically, practically leaping out of his bad. His UV line kept him from jumping all of the way but it was amusing to see.

"Hmmmm… _Guess_." Riku answered cheekily. Sora groaned, slumping in his bed.

"Oh come on, Riku. Tell me, tell me!" Sora demanded. Riku's mom tried to stifle a laugh as she looked up from her book, sitting off to the side as the two visited. Drawn to her small noise, Sora's eyes noticed the object in her hand before looking back at Riku.

"Is it a book?" Sora guessed, trying to peak over Riku's shoulder. The other boy carefully maneuvered his body to block Sora's vision.

"Nope,"

" _Aaaaaa_ … piece of candy?"

Riku shook his head. Sora bounced with annoyance.

"C'mon, at least give me a hint." The brunet was growing impatient. Riku thought for a moment, humming.

"Fine. You can give these to get things, kinda." Riku supplied. Sora dwelled on those words.

 ** _Get something, get things with?_**

Sora thought. The harder he thought about it, the more his had started to hurt. Why was it hurting, . . .

 _Power to take what I want with my own two hands._

Words. Those sounds inside his head, his own voice, yet it felt different. Static drowning out everything else, dry laughter from old lungs and a woman crying out. _Sounds of frustration, strange creatures wailing as they rose from black ash, the sound of–_

"Have any more guesses, Sora?" Riku broke Sora out of his trance, the brunet blinking. That was certainly weird. What had he been thinking about just then?

 ** _Get things… Munny! Although, Riku wouldn't give me munny. I can't go to the hospital store anyways without Mommy or Daddy._**

Sora pondered. Looking at a picture on the wall of a beach, he suddenly had an idea.

"Sand dollars! Did you get me some?" Sora was bouncing with energy on the edge of the bed. Riku smiled and outstretched his palms for his friend to see, presenting a chipped sand dollar and a few sea shells. Sora quickly grabbed them out of his hands and got to work inspecting them. One was uhhh… Sora didn't know a lot of these colours, but he knew that this swirly one was blue because he had asked his mom a few times. Blue was his new favourite colour, it looked pretty. The water was blue. She was blue. Wait, people can't have blue hair. Had he ever met someone with blue hair? Riku's was silver, that was pretty neat.

Sora loved these shells a whole lot.

"I looked everywhere for these. Most of 'em were cracked or somethin'. I wanted to get you a full one." Riku had a smirk on his face, arms crossed proudly across his chest. Sora didn't reply as he just kept absorbing the shells into his memory.

"Sora, what do you say?" Riku's mom cut in, stepping up where she knew Sora's own parents would.

"Thank you," Sora mumbled, finally looking back up at Riku. "Where did you get these?"

"I got these… from the beach? Five minute walk from my house?" Riku squinted at Sora, trying to interpret whether or not he was being serious. Sora blinked, eyeing the shells again with a frown.

"You did?"

"Yeah,"

Sora slowly nodded. Of course he lived on the beach. Destiny Islands, the name itself gave that away, duh! How could he forget something so simple?

"Ah, I just haven't seen the ocean or been able to collect seashells with you for so long." Sora spoke quietly. He couldn't remember how long it'd been since he'd been admitted to this place, unable to recall what his own bedroom looked like. That was weird, right? There had to be more to his life than this small room. These shells were proof that something outside these white walls existed, just waiting for him to come visit. Blue gave him comfort in that way.

"I'll just take a minute, okay guys?" Riku's mom had stood up from her chair to use the small washroom located in the corner.

"Okay mom." Riku answered. His mother didn't really respond as her body disappeared behind the door and the lock made a soft 'click' noise. The two boys were left alone.

"Hey, Riku, after I get out of here, can I, can we, visit the beach or something? Together?" Sora asked, holding the shells close to his chest. Riku raised an eyebrow; he was now leaning on the edge of the bed with his elbow, posed beside Sora.

"Don't tell me you already forgot we made that promise." Riku asked. He looked sad. Sora's mind desperately looked for answers, and finally found them. The day before his surgery, Riku had come in. He'd been colouring, and Riku wore the same expression he was wearing now. It was almost desperate, holding something that Sora, even in this current moment, couldn't decipher. Then they'd made that _promise_.

"Uh, no, you're right. The same spot as always?" Sora smiled, the information becoming more clear.

Riku nodded, resting his head on the side of the bed as he stared up at his best friend in the entire Universe. Sora.

...Much like he was doing now as the bouncing four year-old rushed to greet him on the beach. Riku was glad that they could get back to playing together again. He'd missed Sora while he stayed at the hospital, and hanging out at the beach was less enjoyable without the brunet tagging along.

Sora bent over as he came up beside Riku, trying to catch his breath.

"Sora, are you okay?" Riku furrowed his eyebrows, reaching out and not knowing what to do. The brunet had just had _heart_ surgery, for pete's sake! Riku tried not to wince as he heard some roughness to Sora's voice.

"Yeah, better than ever!" Sora exclaimed. Riku forcibly covered Sora's mouth as he looked both ways for any surrounding people. They were alone.

"Sssh! We can't be too loud, you understand?" Riku's voice was firm. Sora nodded, realizing his mistake. The silver haired boy unclamped Sora's mouth and the brunet sighed in relief. Leaning back, the world revealed to Sora an inky canvas hanging overhead with millions of bright stars.

"Wow… I've never been to the beach at night before!" Sora's awe was evident in his eyes, becoming wide to just try and absorb everything into them.

"Yeah, it's something different than just looking outside your window." Riku answered, having a more subdued reaction, although smiling in his own way. Sora perked up and he pointed eagerly.

"Look, a shooting star!" Sora and Riku both watched the once beaming light fade into nothingness. Riku chose this moment to share his theory with Sora.

"... Y'know, I've been thinking all these nights since you left, that maybe, every star is a different world out there. And when a light goes out, that world falls into darkness." Riku mused, looking down from the sky to look at his friend. "Hey Sora, you're…"

As Riku pointed, Sora reached up to touch his face, and indeed a tear had graced his cheek.

"I'm… crying?" Sora said, inspecting his finger. When he blinked, another tear fell down. Something was curling up inside, making his harder to breathe, a different type of suffocation than what he experienced before his surgery.

"Maybe, in one of those worlds out there, someone feels so sad that they're reaching out to you for help. All you need is to take their hand." Riku suggested. Sora quietly debated the idea, crossing his arms behind his head for a moment.

"I dunno, Riku. You say some weird stuff sometimes, but I'll try it!" Sora accepted the challenge, clutching his fists together. Riku nodded and went back to looking at the stars. Sora closed his eyes and reached out. For anyone, _someone_ …

When Sora opened his eyes, everything was black.

Upon further inspection, he was not on the beach anymore, but rather a big darkened stained glass pillar. Riku was gone. Sora could barely see anything in this low brightness, the glass below emitting a faint blue glow. It had been hard to make out the figure hunched over in the distance. Their back was turned towards him, slightly shaking due to the quiet weeping sounds they were making. The crying barely echoed in this endless space, barely mattered.

On the pillar there used to be a few faces ingrained into the design, though now they were darkened and cracked; only a single sleeping face remaining unbroken, yet not untouched by misery.

Sora wanted to speak but the words got caught in his throat. Was he taller now? Trying to reach out to the figure, the foreign checkered bracelet gave him pause. Why were tears coming out even more? Wasn't this supposed to _stop_ the crying?

The woman remained hunched over and defeated, shoulders slowly rising and falling with every staggered breath. Sora didn't know what to do, who she was, and that's what hurt him even more. Dropping to his knees, his head hurt and the world started to cave in around him.

Her sniffling paused and he raised his head to see her turn towards him-

 _Who was she who was she whowas she who wasshewhowass͏h͡e̛_ w̸͘͠ḩo̷w̧҉̵as҉̵s̨h̢̨e _who̢was̸͢_ _ **s͟h̛e͘-̷͟-**_

Her voice croaked.

" _I'm sorry,_ "

Then Vanitas woke up.

* * *

 _ **AN: *nervous laughter***_


	5. Gets Out Ukulele Hey–

Hey there, long time no read. I've been trying to write a new chapter, especially since I've got free time now, so expect to see it by the end of the summer! The next chapter will be called "Just Keep Clapping" which is a combination of two quotes from beloved Disney/Pixar films. The next chapter is kind of hard to make seeing as half of it is based on a book I remember reading in elementary school and I don't know if I still have the physical copy. I've been trying to find a thorough synopsis online but lemme tell you, it's not easy. I'll just say next chapter might remind you I was a 5 year old girl, once. *sigh*.

I have a lot of ideas and things I want to put into this fic, but my inner "yeah we gotta make this good" is making it hard. (This is not a pity pull, I know y'all are super supportive and non-judgemental, thanks 3000 3). I'm trying to write a little everyday and try to write things that I find fun, so if that means having an exchange between Yuffie and Merlin that I had to do research for, THEN SO BE IT.

I'm thinking of releasing a PDF or EPUB with notes on it after this fic is finished where I highlight foreshadowing and little extra details I put in but you might've not've noticed on a first read. Such as some intentional themes and motifs which may not be groundbreaking yet hey, whatever. I also say intentional because there are too many scenes with Ventus and doors and like honestly that has just been something I've noticed about my writing but as it stands, means nothing. Will I take it somewhere, whoooo knnoooowsss.


	6. Two Kids On a Beach(?)

_AN: So y'all been wondering what's up with Xion and Roxas, so here's a non-beta'd extra chapter for the Holidays!_

* * *

Roxas definitely wasn't expecting it the first time. He'd been talking with Xion within Sora's heart, walking along the beach that Sora called his home.

"Hey Xion, what do you think Axel would've gotten ya for Christmas this year?" Roxas asked. His arms were crossed behind his head.

"Hmm, that's tricky. Probably just more ice cream." Xion chuckled, remembering their days off fondly. "I don't know what I'd get him."

"I'd probably get him a sleeping mask, although, dunno where I'd find one." Roxas purposed. It was hard to get presents for every organization member.

Zexion was both easy and hard at the same time: he liked books, but Roxas didn't know what type of books. Last year, Roxas had bought a book at random and gotten him something called "yaoi"? It was apparently such a bad gift Zexion didn't talk to him until after New Years. His face was so red.

Larxene was a girl and Roxas didn't know what girls liked. Roxas supposed Xion was a girl, but, like, she was _Xion_? That meant she wasn't so foreign to him like the sharp-tongued lightning Master was. He'd gotten her a mirror from that undersea world and Roxas never found it in the trash, so he assumed she kept it.

Demyx… Demyx's gift was a disaster. Roxas has been in a stump for the longest time until one day, he happened to overhear an exasperated Axel arrive after going out on a mission with the amusing musician.

"Geez, you need to the quit running off like that. I should get you a collar or something." Axel complained. Roxas slammed his fist on his open palm.

That's it!

So, Roxas went looking throughout the worlds to find one, and after some careful searching, he acquired one. Like everything else he bought, it was roughly wrapped and put under the tree.

Come christmas morning, Roxas watched with pride as Demyx opened his gift. The collar was met with confusion.

" _Uh, Roxas, what is this?_ " Demyx asked, a nervous smile on his face as he held up the blue dog collar.

" _A collar,_ " Roxas said happily.

" _Um, I see that. What I mean to say is that I'm not into any of that sort of stuff,_ " Demyx answered, pulling on the collar of his hood.

" _What stuff?_ " Roxas tilted his head.

" _Well, that's not really one of my kin-"_ Demyx was abruptly cut off by Xigbar coming up behind and putting a hand over his mouth.

" _Whoa, cool it there. Let's keep that 'Christ' in Christmas for the little tiger, alright?_ " Xigbar warned. Demyx nodded as Xigbar slowly pulled away.

Roxas pouted.

" _So you don't like it, then?_ " Roxas asked, crossing his arms.

" _Yo, what's causing all the fuss?_ " Axel walked up with a newly acquired scarf around his neck and Saïx at his side.

" _I got Demyx a gift, and he doesn't like it_ ," Roxas explained, a little salty.

" _What is it?_ " Axel asked, turning his attention to Demyx and crossing his arms defensively. Demyx narrowed his eyes.

" _This collar,_ " Demyx answered with a sigh. Axel burst out laughing, while Saïx merely rolled his eyes at said childish behavior.

 _"What? Where the heck did you get that wonderful idea, Roxas?"_ Axel asked between laughs. He wiped away a tear and stood up straight.

" _You_." Roxas answered. Nobody was especially happy with that answer, most of all Axel, whom now had several superhuman nobody's eyes piercing at his throat.

Xion's glare pulled him from his thoughts, blinking away the memories.

"Wait, did you say something?" Roxas asked. Xion crossed her arms and smiled.

"Huh, maybe, what's it to you? Perhaps you'll never find out." Xion teased. Roxas groaned.

"Oh come on, I'm sorry! Tell me, please." Roxas begged, putting his hands together in a prayer position. Xion was enjoying this.

"I guess maybe I should-" Xion was cut off. She disappeared into thin air, fading into the world around her.

"Xion?!" Roxas exclaimed, going on guard and surveying the scene. All of a sudden, the ground shook, Roxas trying to balance himself within the chaos. The beach's diameter grew wider and a huge castle started to rise in the center of the island, high up towards the sky.

"What the heck?" Roxas exclaimed. When the ground stabilized, the blonde blinked so he could take a second to process everything. Xion was gone. A castle was now here.

What had happened?

* * *

That's exactly what Xion wanted to figure out. Roxas was just beside her on this beach, but then he had disappeared right before her eyes.

She heard a clunk in the sand behind her. Another clink of metal not too far away. Xion looked up, and hundreds of keyblades were coming down from the sky like meteorites.

"What? Is this some type of rain I haven't heard about?!" Xion said, exasperated as the many keyblades. crashed into the ground, upright around her.

She began to run and try to dodge them, but one managed to evade her sight. She put her arms defensively over her face and braced herself, only to hear a "plonk" sound. Opening her eyes, a weird creature had sacrificed itself for her. It had large wings and red narrowed eyes, with the weirdest symbol on its back.

"Huh?" Xion wondered, running over to the creature lying on the ground. It seemed like the shower had finished so she was safe; at least for now, anyways.

The weird creature was like a raven, getting up on its two claws to groom its wings with its beak. It paid her no mind as she knelt before it.

"Hey little guy…" Xion whispered. She slowly reached her hand out to it. After a moment's hesitation, she petted the creature's head. It felt like leather underneath her gloves, and seemed to enjoy the treatment. That's when she felt it, in her chest.

 _Sora_. This creature had been created by Sora's heart to save her. She felt an immense emotion from this being, a desire to help others. It was warm within her, like a precious secret she wanted to keep safe. And she would.

But, it felt somewhat different than Sora. She couldn't describe it, maybe it was darker, yet it was still Sora.

"Would you happen to know why there are all these keyblades here?" Xion started slowly. The raven tilted its head at her. Xion tapped her chin and tilted her head in the same way, mirroring its pose.

"Maybe you know where Roxas is?" Xion suggested. The raven seemed to recognize the name and chirped happily. Hope filled her eyes. "Can you lead me to him?"

The raven shuffled its feathers and took to the sky, circling around the amalgamation of a boy's ties to an empty graveyard and an island home filled with lush light and life. Xion cupped her hand over her eyes to hide the glare as her gaze watched it search through the sky. He had to be here somewhere, right?

* * *

After getting over the initial shock of losing Xion, Roxas ran up and down the beach calling out her name, to no avail. Next, Roxas turned his attention to the huge manor that had appeared smack dab in the centre of the island. There were pillars of rock that had risen out of the sand around the edge of the beach, connected to the main house through large linked chains. Roxas had never seen anything like it.

Curiosity drew Roxas towards it. He slashed at the palm trees and tropical plant life in his path - they'd just grow back later, Roxas had learned from a once rage filled experience - and made it to the steps of the castle. With each step closer to the doors, the anticipation was killing him. Nothing changed here within Sora's heart. It was reliable, knowing that the sun would always rise and set in the same course, gave him an ounce of stability for once in his life. He found solace in the fact that he could count on Sora to get the job done and carry out his promise.

Yet things had changed here, _shifted_ might be a better word. Sora was still the same, but different.

The doors gave surprisingly easily. Taking in the large hallway with polished floor and warm glow startled Roxas. His life had been filled with so much white, it was noteworthy this place seemed to be full of colour. The hallway stretched high above him and out in front. Wait a minute…

Roxas ran out the staircase and leaned over it, peeking behind the structure. He squinted his eyes and swung his upper body back and forth comparing the interior and exterior. It was bigger on the inside? Perhaps the laws of the universe didn't apply within Sora's heart. Yeah. That's it.

Heading back inside, Roxas went inside the first room he could see. It was a large open room with blue and white paint on the walls, large open windows that let the light in. There were three wooden thrones placed at the back of the room. What Roxas didn't expect was to find someone sitting in the middle chair.

"Who are you?" Roxas asked, immediately summoning kingdom key and readying himself. The armoured figure did not move. Roxas had spent so long with his guard down, he was surprised at how easily those walls rose up again. He cautiously stalked towards the figure. What was this guy planning? Roxas couldn't let them get the jump on him.

"Say something!" Roxas ordered, rushing forward. The moment he sliced down on the figure, he experienced immediate regret. The armour fell apart like whomever inhibiting it was a ghost and scattered on the floor with a crash. Roxas startled even himself.

After steadying himself, he kicked at some of the armour at his feet. Moving apart some of it, he found a green star shaped trinket. He bent over and picked it up. Once he was standing upright, he inspected it, challenging his own reflection in its smooth glass surface.

Then everything shifted again.

Suddenly he was back on the beach and the castle was nowhere to be seen. Xion was there too, equally as shaken as he was. He quickly put the wayfinder away in his pocket, thinking nothing of it now that Xion was here!

"Roxas!" Xion exclaimed, taking him within her arms. Roxas hugged her back.

"Xion, where did you go? There was this castle and…" Roxas shook his head. Xion pulled away from him and put her hands on her hips.

"Where did _you_ go off to? I've been here in Sora's heart this whole time," Xion said.

"Me too! I didn't leave Sora's heart either. I would've felt it." He said, putting a hand on his chest. He then squeezed the fabric there. "But something changed about it."

"Yes, exactly, and there were all these different keyblades and there's this small animal thing…" She scanned the ground, looking for the creature. She pouted. "Well, there _was_ one."

Roxas frowned. Something had to be up with Sora. It was impossible for them to both exist within Sora's heart and yet not exist within the same place. A sudden appearance of keyblades and castles for them to only disappear just as easily was also a strange occurrence.

"I'll tell you about it later. I'm glad to have you back." Xion smiled, taking his hand. Roxas returned it with his own smile.

"Yeah, me too," Roxas said. He didn't want to think about living within this heart all alone without Xion there to keep him company. He didn't want to leave Xion all alone, either. Both of them had been out for some time while the other continued traveling across worlds. Axel was there, but it just wasn't the same.

Then everything shifted again. Xion was pulled from his grasp and Roxas was left all alone with his empty hand in the air. He crumpled it up and took a sharp turn towards the castle, knowing if there _were_ answers, they would be in there.

He opened up the door and side stepped into the first room where the armour still lay crumpled up on the floor. He sighed and looked around for another room to investigate. Halfway down the hallway, he stopped, realizing something that unsettled him.

It was silent in here.

No ocean waves, no distant seagulls, no Xion laughing, no sound shifting under his feet. Besides the tapping of his feet against the floor, there was a small crackling sound. Everything felt empty, still. The cracks in the walls grew darker, the quiet echo smothered into nothingness.

Roxas didn't like it.

He made his way into the only other room in this building, a large library filled to the brim with books of all kinds and sorts. The fireplace in the center drew him in, a bit of liveliness amidst a moment that felt frozen in time. Roxas felt like a stranger intruding on someone else's boundaries. A memory someone was gripping onto with all their might in order to maintain some sense of stability within the whirlwinds of life.

Something was off. There just wasn't something right about this too perfect peace. A house unlived in was not a home.

There was a huge armoire next to the fireplace, which Roxas gratefully slouched into. He took in the room one last time, the bookshelves that raced above to a high rise ceiling, a chess set waiting on the windowsill and the fire barely illuminating the already sunlight filled room.

Well, perhaps he should get reading. Nothing better to do.

* * *

 _An: I love this fic, it can go from Roxas accidentally buying Zexion yaoi to seperation anxiety about losing your best friend forever. Nice!_


End file.
